McPherson, Kan. – The Bulldogs were back at home on Saturday to host the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College for their final meeting of the year. McPherson aimed to secure their third conference win and sweep Southwestern, while the Moundbuilders still looked for their first KCAC victory.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Score: MC 67, SC 64
Records: MC 8-8 (KCAC 3-7), SC 4-12 (KCAC 0-10)
How it Happened
Southwestern's Martha La Rosa opened the scoring to give the Moundbuilders an early lead, but
Maizen Gillam answered with a basket of her own to tie the game. Southwestern went on to build an eight-point advantage; a five-point surge by the Bulldogs, however, trimmed the deficit to three heading into the second quarter.
Kenya McCain put the Bulldogs in front for the first time early in the second quarter, scoring on back-to-back layups and converting the free throw to convert the and-one. Southwestern responded with five straight points to regain the lead, but McPherson answered behind Gillam who knocked down a shot from deep to knot the game at 21-21 just after the seven-minute mark. The teams went basket for basket over the next stretch before the Moundbuilders closed the half on a 13-5 run, taking a 35-29 lead into the break.
The third quarter saw McPherson turn in its best offensive quarter of the game. The Bulldogs shot 39% from the floor, knocked down three of their four attempts from deep, and went a perfect two of two from the stripe. On the other end, Southwestern struggled offensively, going one for six at the free throw line and connecting on just two of eight attempts from beyond the arc. Despite McPherson's offensive surge and erasing an 11-point deficit, the teams headed into the final frame tied at 48-48 after a last second jumper from
Amaree Henderson.
Over the first five minutes of the final quarter, the teams traded a slim lead before the Bulldogs strung together a 6-0 run to go up five with just over two minutes remaining. Southwestern mounted a late comeback effort but ultimately came up short, as Gillam converted one of her free throws to extend McPherson's lead to 67-64, and
Isabella Rosa sealed the victory with a steal in the closing seconds.
Margaret Ajayi recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while
Maizen Gillam led the Bulldogs with a team-high 14 points.
Up Next
McPherson will travel to Salina, Kansas on Wednesday for a rematch with the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM.
