WINFIELD, Kan. — McPherson College built a 22-point first-half lead, then held off a furious Southwestern College rally to spoil the Lady Builders' home and Conference opener, 70-66, on Saturday afternoon at Stewart Field House.
Southwestern (3-2, 0-1) trailed 39-20 at halftime and was down by as many as 22 points late in the second quarter before outscoring McPherson 46-31 in the second half. The Lady Builders cut the deficit to two in the final minute but could not find the tying basket.
Senior forward Macey Pond led Southwestern with a double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. She also added four assists while driving the second-half push.
Kennedy Ford added 13 points and four rebounds, and Breanna Goad scored 11 points while going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and adding two steals. Martha De La Rosa finished with eight points and three assists. Aubrey Pond came off the bench to score seven points and collect three rebounds, and Emma Parker added four points and four assists.
McPherson (6-1, 1-0) was paced by Olivia Bell, who scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Mikah Hammerquist came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and finish with 18 points, and Maizen Gillam added 14 points and three steals.
Cold shooting and turnovers hurt Southwestern early. The Lady Builders managed just seven points in the first quarter and 20 in the first half, while McPherson used a 23-point second period to build control. The Bulldogs led 39-20 at the break and pushed the margin to 22 before Southwestern began to rally.
The Lady Builders found rhythm in the third quarter, scoring 23 points while tightening defensively to trim the deficit to 57-43 entering the fourth. Pond attacked the paint, Ford connected on drives and midrange looks, and Southwestern forced the Bulldogs into tougher attempts.
The fourth quarter brought another 23-point performance for the Lady Builders as they steadily chipped away. Goad's scoring and free-throw shooting, combined with improved rebounding, helped Southwestern pull within a single possession late.
McPherson, however, answered with timely baskets from Bell and Hammerquist and closed at the line to keep the Lady Builders at bay. The Bulldogs finished 28 of 64 (43.8 percent) from the field and 9 of 25 from 3-point range.
Southwestern shot 42.6 percent (23 of 54) from the floor and 77.8 percent (14 of 18) at the foul line. The Lady Builders held a 32-24 rebounding advantage, including 8-6 on the offensive glass, but were undone by 20 turnovers that led to 19 McPherson points.
Southwestern stays home for its next contest, hosting Bethel College on Nov. 19 for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
