Women's Basketball | 1/19/2022 8:15:00 PM
Box Score Kansas City, Mo. – The McPherson College women's basketball team struggled again, this time on the road Wednesday night against Avila University. The Bulldogs fell to the Eagles 91-76.
The Bulldogs looked out of sorts from the opening tip. They had 12 turnovers in the opening quarter, and the home team took advantage, jumping out to a 25-10 lead after 10 minutes of action. In the second quarter, the Bulldogs stopped the bleeding, and the score was even in the period at 19, giving the Eagles a 44-29 lead at the break.
The early part of the third quarter looked promising. The Bulldogs seemed to play with a little more urgency and focus. Unfortunately they couldn't get enough stops on the defensive end to make a dent in the Eagle lead. Midway through the third quarter the Bulldogs trailed by 17 when Tijanae' Simmons was called for a foul during play, and Brittany Roberts was assessed a technical foul when the play was over. The Eagles made 3 of 4 free throws and got the ball out of bounds. After another foul, the Eagles split two more free throws for a five point swing.
After that the Bulldogs never recovered. The Eagles won the third period 25-16 to lead by 24, 69-45. With the game all but decided, the Bulldogs found their offensive form in the final period, out-scoring the Eagles 31-22, to even the scoring in the second half. When the clock hit zeros the Eagles held a 15 point advantage.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs coughed the ball up 26 times, and Avila turned those miscues into 34 points.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs shot 49% from the floor for the game.
They made 4 of 12 of their attempts from deep for a 33% efficiency.
They had a decent night at the charity stripe, finishing 10 of 16.
Three Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by a 22 point performance by Brittany Roberts.
Despite losing the turnover battle, the Bulldogs dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Eagles 42-24.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Brittany Roberts (22)
Rebounds: Brittany Roberts (11)
Assists: Dy'mond McElrath, (5)
Steals: Ja'Kia Wells (3)
Blocks: Brittany Roberts, Ja'Kia Wells (1)
Coaches Quote:
"Frustrating night, I just didn't think we came out with the energy we needed to compete tonight. I thought we fought back, but never strung enough stops together to make a real push." – Coach Nichols
Next Up
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 10-11 overall, and 7-8 in the KCAC. They will be back in the friendly confines of the Sport Center on Saturday for a 5:00 pm match-up with intra-county rival Bethany College.
