Photo by Junior Silva
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team opened KCAC play on Wednesday evening at the Sport Center, hosting the University of St. Mary Spires. The Bulldogs looked to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Saturday on the road at Peru State College.
 There was sloppy play from both sides in the first ten minutes of action, and by the end of the period, the game was knotted at 13. In the second quarter, the Bulldogs cleaned up their act, and locked in on defense. They held the Spires to just four made field goals in the quarter, while on the offensive end, they scored 23 points to take a 36-27 lead into the halftime intermission.
After the break, all the momentum the Bulldogs had built in quarter number two flipped in favor of the Spires in the third period. The Bulldogs struggled on both ends of the floor opening the door for the visitors to get back in the game. With 4:02 left in the quarter, the Spires had erased the nine point deficit and turned it into a three point lead. By the end of the period, the Bulldogs had recaptured the lead 54-49.
Even with a five point lead, the Bulldogs didn't look comfortable in the final 10 minutes. They led by seven (68-61) with 4:41 left to play, but the Spires went on an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to cut the Bulldog lead to 1, 70-69. The Bulldogs had the ball with 41 ticks on the clock, but turned it over. The Spires went to the other end of the floor, and called timeout with four seconds remaining.
The Spires inbounded the ball underneath their own basket, to just beyond the top of the key. They rushed a three point shot from deep that came up well short and the Bulldogs escaped with a 70-69 win.
Key Statistic
One key marker that jumps off of the box score is the scoring the Bulldogs received from their bench personnel. The Bulldog bench contributed 17 points to the winning effort including 12 points from Tatum Griffin, who tied her career high she set last year against Sterling College.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot 39% from the floor for the game, and 38% from beyond the three point arc. They were a little better from the free throw line, making 17 of 25 attempts.
Three Bulldogs scored in double figures.
The Bulldogs outscored the Spires in the paint 45-37.
MC won the battle of the boards, 45-37, and had two fewer turnovers than the Spires.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Brittany Roberts (23)
Rebounds: Brittany Roberts (15)
Assists: Brittany Roberts, Maison Moseley, Victoria Ates, Tatum Griffin (2)
Steals: Brittany Roberts (3)
Blocks: TiJanae' Simmons (1)
Coach Quote
"WE are 1-0 in KCAC play and that is what matters most. I thought Tatum Griffin played her best game of her career tonight and we really needed it. Saint Mary is a much better team this year and played extremely hard. We need to figure out how to finish off teams and not have so many games that come down to last possession." – Coach Nichols
Next Up
The Bulldogs, now 4-1 on the season, will go on the road Saturday to Salina, Kansas for a 6:00 pm match-up with the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes.
