Mac women ease by CCC

By STEVE SELL, Sentinel Sports Editor

While McPherson College's women experienced a letdown Monday night, that didn't stop them from letting up on extending their winning streak.

The Bulldogs moved within a game of the .500 mark with a 58-40 victory over crosstown counterpart Central Christian College. Mac now has won its last three to move to 7-8.

The Bulldogs actually struggled for most of the first half, but a late sizz propelled them to a 35-17 lead and the teams played on even terms in the second half.

"The kids had been on such a high the last two games," McPherson coach Mel Wright said. "But Central played hard and never quit. Give them credit. But our defense was good again. Offensively, we struggled some."

The Bulldogs got away with a 41 percent shooting night and also committed 22 turnovers. Amy Gremmer scored all 12 of her points in the first half and shared team honors with Erica Alvarez.

The Bulldogs have a good chance to get to .500 Thursday when they play at Kansas Wesleyan, the only team winless in KCAC play.

"We're not taking anyone lightly," Wright said. "Wesleyan always plays hard against us, especially up there."

For Central, McPherson High grad Annie Sherman led the way with 11 points.

"We just didn't finish," said Central coach Bryan Minnich, whose team is down to seven players. "If your look at turnovers and rebounds, we were pretty even. But we shot only 30 percent from the field, 20 percent from the line and 22 percent from 3-point. We had some good shots, we just didn't make them."

Central, now 2-12, has two MCAC games coming up, hosting Bellevue on Friday and Peru State on Saturday.

Mac (58) -- Odhams 1 0-0 2; Blose 1 0-2 2; Horner 2 4-6 8; Richardson 3 0-0 6; Jackson 3 0-0 7; Gremmer 5 0-0 12; Wilder 3 0-0 8; Hagen 0 1-2 1; Alvarez 5 2-4 12. Totals -- 23 7-14 58. 3-pointers -- Gremmer 2, Wilder 2, Jackson 1.

Central (40) -- Pratt 4 0-1 9; Sherman 5 0-1 11; Acevedo 1 0-0 2; Blue Eyes 0 0-1 0; Taylor 3 2-4 8; Hargis 2 0-2 4; Jones 3 0-1 6. Totals -- 18 2-10 40. 3-pointers -- Pratt 1, Sherman 1.