by McPHERSON, Kan. Looking to finish the first round of conference play with a win, Tabor made the short trip west to face the Bulldogs of McPherson College. Tabor rode a good start and a strong second quarter defensive effort, to come away with an impressive 70-57 win on the road.
Tabor got out to a fast start to open the contest, building an early lead behind the hot hand of McPherson native Kassidy Beam (FR/McPherson, Kan.). Beam went 3-3 from beyond the arc in the opening frame. The freshman accounted for nearly half of the Bluejay points in the first period. Kasey Rice (Pawnee Nation) added five off the bench as the Bluejays shot 50% over the first 10 minutes of play.
“In the first quarter we struggled with fouls but after that we did a pretty good job defensively” commented Head Coach Shawn Reed. “Offensively, Kassidy really got us going early with three huge three-point buckets in the first quarter.”
The Bluejays’ defense dominated the Bulldogs in the second quarter, holding McPherson to just two points for the quarter. Kasey Rice‘s five points led the Bluejay offense as Tabor’s lead swelled to 17 points (37-20) at the break. Tabor’s hot shooting continued as they ended the half shooting 52% overall (13-25) from the floor and 66% (6-9) from the three-point line. The Bluejay defense really clamped down on the Bulldogs in the second, forcing McPherson to just 34% (8-23) shooting overall and 14% (1-7) from beyond the arc to end the half.
Tabor extended their lead after the break by four points, outscoring McPherson 20-16 in the period. Nice ball movement led to open shots and the Bluejays high shooting percentage continued as they shot 53% from the floor and 50% from deep after three periods. The Bluejays defense continued to give the reigning KCAC Player-of-the-Year, Brittany Roberts, trouble as she only scored 12 points through three quarters of play, and committed six turnovers.
McPherson made the game respectable by outscoring Tabor 21-13 in the final period. Tabor completed the first round of KCAC play with the 70-57 win and head into round two with a 9-3 conference mark.
“Kasey and Zoe both had outstanding games, especially at the offensive end” said Reed. “Zoe had a very efficient night and I loved her shot selection and the passes she made out of the post. Kasey did a fantastic job of attacking the rim, hitting jump shots and finding her teammates. She also gave a sound defensive effort.”
Reed continued finding players to praise on the night. “Julissa had a very solid night off the bench and did a great job defending and rebounding. I thought our bench production was huge, especially given the foul trouble we were in. Teegan, Laney, Julissa, Lexi and especially Kasey gave us some really solid minutes off the bench.”
Tabor was led in scoring by Kasey Rice with 23 points. Zoe Shieldnight (SR/Gore, Okla.) was the Bluejays’ other double digit scorer, pouring in 16. Rice and Shieldnight were joined by Julissa Garcia (SR/Ponca City, Okla.) to grab a team high six rebounds. That same trio led the Bluejays with five assists and two steals apiece.
The Bluejays finished the game shooting 49% from the floor and 56% from the three-point line. Tabor was an outstanding 14-15 (93%) from the free throw line. Tabor held a one rebound edge (30-29) over the Bulldogs. The Bluejay bench once again was very productive, outscoring the Bulldogs reserves 39-18 on the night. Tabor’s biggest lead was 26 points at the 4:07 mark of the third period. McPherson held a slim two-point lead early in the first period.
