OTTAWA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College women's basketball team fell to 12-13 overall and 8-10 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) with a 69-67 loss to Ottawa University Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field House.
Ottawa (8-16, 6-12 KCAC) jumped out to a 25-9 lead after one quarter, holding McPherson to just 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) shooting from the field and three free throws. The Braves were 6-of-11 from the field in the opening frame and hit nine of 12 free throws after drawing eight Bulldog fouls.
The lead grew to 17 early in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Katlyn Hughes at the 8:13 mark, but McPherson was able to regroup and trailed by just 13 at halftime.
The Bulldogs continued to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter, using a 14-5 run to make it a seven-point game headed to the final quarter.
McPherson opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run - including seven in a row by
Sonerka White (Houston, Texas, Eisenhower HS) - to tie the game at 51-all at the 8:00 mark. Ottawa responded with two quick baskets, but the Bulldogs countered with a 10-2 run to put the visitors up by four with 4:36 remaining. McPherson was unable to maintain the momentum, though, as the Braves scored eight of the next nine to lead 65-62 with 45 seconds left on the clock.
White drained a 3-pointer on McPherson's next trip down the court to tie the game at 65, but the Bulldogs were not able to get the defensive stop they needed. Jessica King gave Ottawa back the lead with a basket in the paint. Fouled by
Brittany Roberts (Mansfield, Texas, Lake Ridge HS) on the play, King promptly drained the ensuing free throw to put the Braves up by three. McPherson came up empty on its next possession after a 3-point attempt by
Brooke Racette (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) failed to draw iron. With the Bulldogs forced to foul, King added another free throw to give Ottawa a four-point advantage.
Cami Richardson (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) hit a shot in the paint in the final seconds to set the final margin.
After their early struggles from the field, McPherson rebounded to shoot 48.5 percent (16-of-33) in the second half and 38.1 percent (24-of-63) overall. The Bulldogs did struggle, though, from behind the arc (4-of-21) and at the line (15-of-27). Ottawa shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) overall and drained seven threes, while going 22-of-30 at the free throw line.
McPherson's defensive pressure forced 26 turnovers while yielding six blocked shots and 16 steals.
White scored 20 points - including 13 in the fourth quarter - to lead four Bulldogs in double figures. She also had two assists, three steals and three of McPherson's four 3-pointers. Roberts added 12 points and eight rebounds but committed seven turnovers. Richardson tallied 11 points, six boards, five assists and four steals, while Racette had 10 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Danielle Holt (Glenpool, Okla., Glenpool HS) posted nine points, nine rebounds and three steals of the bench.
King led Ottawa with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Jenna Kramer added 18 points and seven boards.
McPherson will look to bounce back Wednesday with a trip to York (4-20, 1-17 KCAC). The Bulldogs won the initial meeting with the Panthers, 68-47, on Dec. 12 in McPherson. McPherson has a firm grasp on the eighth and final spot in the KCAC tournament field for the moment, sitting two games back of Tabor (10-8) in seventh and two games clear of both Ottawa and Southwestern (both 6-12) with four games to play. Tipoff from the Freeman Center in York, Nebraska, is slated for 6 p.m.
