Photo by Jakob Komel
Lindsborg, Kan. – The McPherson College women's got a huge win on Wednesday over intra-county rival Bethany College, coming from 22 points down in the first half to defeat the Swedes 60-58.
It was a rough start for the Bulldogs as they were only able to score a total of three points in the first 10 minutes of game play. They trailed the Swedes 16-3 at the end of the first and with 2:24 remaining in the half, the lead had ballooned out to 22 points. By the end of the half, the Bulldogs had trimmed the lead to 16, 32-16.
The Bulldogs righted the ship in the third period, beating the Swedes in the quarter 29-14 and doing so with their defense. The Bulldogs turned up the pressure on the Swedes forcing them in to a plethora of turnovers and missed shots. The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of the Swedes' miscues and late in the 4th quarter, they took the lead for the first time in the game. They led the Swedes for 1:29 of the 40 total minutes played, but it was enough to pick up an important conference win.
Brittany Roberts (Sr. Mansfield, Texas) had her streak of 8 games with a double double snapped by the Swedes. The Swedes employed a box and one defensive strategy, and double teamed her at every opportunity. She managed to grab 18 rebounds, but she was held to just 3 points, all of them coming from the free throw line.
Key Statistic
The Bulldog defense forced the Swedes into 35 turnovers, which translated to 21 points on the other end of the floor.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot just 20% from the floor in the first half, but bounced back in the final 20 minutes and shot 43% giving them 31% for the game.
The Bulldog bench players scored 17 points.
The Bulldogs were 11 of 15 from the free throw line in the second half.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Dy'mond McElrath (14)
Rebounds: Brittany Roberts (18)
Assists: Dy'mond McElrath (6)
Steals: Brittany Roberts (6)
Blocks: Victoria Ates (1)
Coach Quote
"It was a tale of two halves. The first half we were a little flat on offense as Bethany did a great job all night on Brittany. Second half we turned up the pressure and had a bunch of players step up as Bethany continued to smother Brittany on every catch. Dy'mond and Maison were steady as always, Victoria, Erika, KU, KB, and Maya all had timely baskets. Ja'kia Wells really stepped up on both ends and played a very good all-around game."
Next Up
 The Bulldogs are now 7-2 on the year, and 4-2 in KCAC play. They will wrap up the 2020 portion of the season on Saturday when they travel to Bartlesville, Oklahoma for a match-up with the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles. Tip-off Saturday is slated for 5:00 pm.
