WINFIELD, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) – It was a hard fought contest between a pair of teams desperate for a victory, but it was the Moundbuilders who defeated the McPherson College Bulldogs in a thriller on Saturday (Jan. 11), 59-57.
The Moundbuilders had a strong showing in the opening quarter, ending it with a 21-11 lead thanks in large part to a 56% shooting percentage and a pair of three point shots along with stout defense that held MC to 21% from the field. Come the second quarter, the Bulldogs came to life and really made life difficult for Southwestern thanks to some tough defense. The Moundbuilders made just three of their 20 field goal attempts as MC was able to climb back into the contest. At the conclusion of the first half, the Bulldogs trailed by just three points as the score was 29-26 in favor of Southwestern.
McPherson and Southwestern spent the entirety of the third quarter just trading blows. As the Bulldogs scored to pull them within a basket, the Moundbuilders answered and continued to hold MC at bay. A pair of two point baskets by Amarion Tease in the late stages of the quarter tied the game at 38 points apiece as both teams prepared for a thrilling ending.
MC started off the final quarter hot as Raeghan Borman scored a pair of layups to give the Bulldogs a 42-38 lead, but Southwestern refused to go down without a fight as the fourth quarter of play began to look similar to the third with both teams trading buckets. A big shot came with just 54 seconds left in the contest as Southwestern’s Macy Pond cashed in a three to give her squad a 57-54 lead. The answer for the Bulldogs came from Taylor Berkheimer as with just 29 seconds left she nailed a deep three to tie the game right back up.
With the shot clock off, Southwestern took the final shot. With just four seconds left, Kennedy Ford put up the shot that would inevitably down the Bulldogs at the buzzer. The loss sends the Bulldogs to 0-16 on the season and now 0-10 in KCAC play.
Berkheimer had her best game as a Bulldog as the freshman scored a career best and team high 12 points thanks to four three pointers. Borman and Gillian Rodgers both scored 10 points in the contest.
The Bulldogs return to the Holman Fieldhouse for the first game in a three game homestand as they play host to Kansas Wesleyan on Wednesday, January 18. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
