Ottawa, Kan. – McPherson was on the road Saturday afternoon to face off against the Ottawa University Braves. The Bulldogs looked to bounce back after a mid-week loss at home to Kansas Wesleyan, while the Braves aimed to make it two straight following a win over Tabor.
The Basics
Location: Wilson Fieldhouse
Score: MC 70, OU 95
Records: MC 6-3 (KCAC 1-2), OU 5-1 (KCAC 2-1)
How it Happened
McPherson started out hot, knocking down its first two three-pointers to grab an early six-point lead. Ottawa's Dominique Schutte quickly answered, pouring in five straight points to trim the margin to one, before tying the game at 11-11 at the free throw line. Despite the Bullodgs shooting from 51% from deep in the opening frame, a late Ottawa jumper put McPherson behind 24-21 heading into the second quarter.
The Braves began to take control in the second. After briefly stretching their lead to five, McPherson cut it to two on
Maizen Gillam's second three of the game. Ottawa responded with a strong offensive stretch, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc in the quarter. The Braves outscored the Bulldogs by 10 in the period to take a 50-36 advantage into the locker room.
McPherson struggled to find its rhythm offensively to open the third quarter, not getting on the board until more than three minutes in on a bucket by
Amaree Henderson. The Bulldogs managed just seven made field goals in the frame, going 4 for 16 from the floor and 1 for 5 from three, both their lowest marks of the game. Ottawa, meanwhile, put together its best offensive quarter, shooting 53% from the field, 44% from long range and a perfect 100% at the line to build a 25-point lead.
The fourth quarter was evenly played, with both side scoring 21 points, but the damage from the third proved to be too much to overcome as Ottawa closed out a 95-70 win. Gillam maintained her attack for the duration of the game, scoring 11 of her team high 27 points in the fourth quarter. Henderson added five free throws in the quarter to finish with 13 points.
McPherson shot 34.5% (20-58) from the field and 42.3% (11-26) from three-point range. Henderson added a team high three steals, plus one block and one assist to go with her 13 points. Gillam also made her presence felt defensively and as a facilitator, adding a pair of steals and assists to go with her 27 points.
Up Next
The Bulldogs return to Holman Field house on Wednesday for a showdown with the Tabor College Bluejays. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM.
