Ottawa, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team opened up 2019 with a loss, on the road, against the Ottawa University Braves, 76-56.
The Bulldogs trailed the Braves from start to finish, but for 30 of the 40 minutes, they stayed within striking distance. The Braves jumped out to a five point lead, 17-12, at the end of the first quarter, and as the teams went into the halftime break, the lead had grown to seven, 34-27.
The Bulldogs came out of the break, and won the 3
rd quarter, 20-16, and had trimmed the Braves' lead to just three, 50-47 heading into the final 10 minutes. Unfortunately, things unraveled for the Bulldogs in the final period. The Braves opened up the quarter on a 10-0 run, and when time ran out, the Braves had outscored the Bulldogs 26-9 to win by 20.
Three Bulldogs finished the game in double figures in scoring, led by
Brittany Roberts (So. Mansfield, Texas). Joining Roberts in double figures were
Danielle Holt (Jr. Glenpool, Okla.) and Ellie Gillen (Jr. Castle Rock, Colo.) who each chipped in 10.
The struggles for the Bulldogs came on the offensive end of the floor. They made just 37% of their shots from the floor, knocking down 23 of 61 shots. From behind the three point arc, the struggle was even more acute. The Bulldogs made just four 3 pointers in 24 attempts, for 16%, while at the charity stripe they went 6 of 12.
"Although we fought hard tonight it was difficult to overcome 2 to1 from the foul line tonight." said Bulldog head coach
Josh Nichols. "In the end the biggest difference in the game was Ottawa hit some big 3's in the fourth to blow open the game. We just didn't have an answer for that."
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 8-9 overall, and 3-8 in KCAC games. They will look to get their first win of the New Year next Monday, when they go back on the road and take on the Bethel Threshers, who are currently 4
th in the KCAC standings. Tip-off Monday is slated for 6:00 pm in North Newton, Kansas.
MC (56) – Roberts (17), Holt (10), Gillen (10), Tims (7), Moseley (5), DeLuca (3), Harlow (2), Branscum (2).
