Sterling, Kan. – The Bulldogs closed out three straight games on the road with a trip to Sterling, Kansas for a Wednesday night matchup against the Sterling College Warriors. McPherson headed into the matchup aiming to stop their current two game skid, while Sterling looked for their second consecutive win and to improve to 10-3 in conference play.
The Basics
Location: Gleason Center
Score: MC 70, SC 88
Records: MC 8-11 (KCAC 3-10), SC 14-5 (KCAC 10-3)
How it Happened
The opening quarter was tightly contested, with
Maizen Gillam opening the scoring by knocking down a jumper just inside the three-point arc to give the bulldogs an early 2-0 lead. Sterling responded quickly as Karlee Jacobs finished a fastbreak to even the score. The teams went basket for basket through much of the period before the Warriors surged late, closing the quarter on an 8-2 run to take an 18-13 lead into the second.
Sterling kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 12 midway through the period before heading into the break with a 13 point cushion. The Warriors shot an efficient 50% from the floor and knocked down two of three free throws in the quarter. Meanwhile, McPherson spread its scoring across the lineup with six different Bulldogs recording at least two points, but struggled to find rhythm, shooting 5 of 16 from the field and 4 of 6 at the line. The Bulldogs went into halftime facing a 40-27 deficit.
Gillam opened the second half scoring for the Bulldogs, scoring her second three of the night to trim the deficit to 10. Sterling responded once again, however, building its first 15-point lead. McPherson put together its strongest offensive quarter of the night, shooting 47% from the floor, but the Warriors matched the surge and carried a 61-48 advantage into the final frame.
After struggling to find the bottom of the net in the third – shooting just 29 percent from the floor and going 0 for 2 from beyond the arc – the Warriors rediscovered their offensive rhythm in the final frame. Kali Briar paced Sterling, pouring in nine points and knocking down three of Warriors' four made threes in the quarter. McPherson once again saw balanced scoring, with
Amyah Williams-Woodmore,
Laderricka Payne, and
Mikah Hammerquist each finishing with six points in the frame. The Bullodgs trimmed the deficit to 10 early in the fourth, but Sterling answered down the stretch to pull away and secure an 88-70 victory.
Four Bulldogs finished in double figures, led by
Amyah Williams-Woodmore with 13 points, followed by
Maizen Gillam (12),
Amaree Henderson (11), and
Gillian Rodgers (10).
Margaret Ajayi controlled the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Up Next
McPherson College will be back at home on Sunday for a matchup with the Threshers of Bethel College. Tip off is set for 3:00 PM.
