Winfield, Kan. – The McPherson College women's basketball team opened up 2022 with a 68-66 win, in overtime, on the road against the Southwestern College Moundbuilders.
The first half of action belonged to the Bulldogs. They opened up with a 22-10 lead after the first quarter, and then extended their lead to 36-23 after winning the second quarter 14-13.
The third quarter has been the Achilles heel for the Bulldogs at time this season, and against the Builders on Wednesday night, it reared its ugly head once again. In the first half, the Builders employed a full court press and played mostly man to man defense. Coming out of the locker room at half time, they changed their strategy and went exclusively to a zone defense.
The defensive change got the Bulldogs out of sorts, and they did not make a field goal the entire period. The only points the Bulldogs scored came at the free throw line. The Builders out-scored the Bulldogs 18-2 and took the lead 41-38 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Builders carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, and after the Bulldogs took a brief one point lead, went on a 10-0 run to go up nine on the Bulldogs. From there the Bulldogs amped up the defensive pressure and clawed their way back into the game and forced overtime.
In the overtime session, with the game tied at 62, TiJanae' Simmons hit a huge three pointer to put the Bulldog up 65-62. The Builders hit a bucket to make the score 65-64, but the Bulldogs iced the game at free throw line, making three of four free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs shot 50% from beyond the three point line in the first allowing them to build a double digit lead at the break.
By the Numbers
Thanks to 0% shooting in the 3rd quarter, the Bulldogs wound up at 29% from the floor for the game.
They shot 32% from deep, making 9 of 28 attempts.
From the free throw line they were 21-37 (57%).
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Brittany Roberts who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
MC won the turnover battle 18-20, but were out-rebounded by the Builders 52-47.
Bulldog Leaders
Points: Brittany Roberts (15)
Rebounds: Brittany Roberts (12)
Assists: Ja'Kia Wells, Dy'mond McElrath (5)
Steals: Ja'Kia Wells (3)
Blocks: Brittany Roberts (2)
Coaches Quote:
"Thought we got off to a really good start. The second quarter was a little bit of a letdown, but we picked it up at the end of the half. We got good shots at the start of the 3rd quarter, they just weren't falling. Credit to Southwestern for finding some stuff offensively that worked for them. The combination of us missing shots and Southwestern finding their groove offensively got us out of sync. I like the way we battled back the last six minutes and overtime down nine, to get us to overtime. Huge shot in overtime by TiJanae', and a lot of credit to Dy'mond who played all but one minute tonight. We had a balanced night scoring, with a lot of people contributing. " – Coach Nichols
Next Up
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 9-7 overall, and 6-4 in KCAC play. They will be back in action on Saturday, hosting the Sterling College Warriors at 6:00 pm in the Sport Center.
