Photo by Kami Wood

McPherson, Kan. – Basketball is back at the Jerry E. Alexander Arena? The Central Christian College women's basketball team opened the 2022-23 season with an 82-63 loss at home to the Peru State College Bobcats on Friday evening.

The Tigers came out hot, and for the first eight minutes of the opening quarter led the Bobcats. At the 2:28 mark of the opening quarter, the Tigers led 22-13, but the Bobcats finished the period on a 12 to 3 run, tying the game at 25 heading into the second quarter.

The shots that were falling early for the Tigers, didn't fall with the same frequency for the remaining three quarters. They pushed the lead back out to five, 31-26 at the 6:30 mark, but by the 2:02 mark, the game was tied at 35. The Bobcats took the lead on the next possession, 37-35 and never looked back. They closed out the half on a 9-0 run and led the Tigers 44-35 at the break.

The Tigers struggled to get their offense going in the second half, and the Bobcats continued to extend their lead. At the end of the third, the Bobcat lead had grown to 12, and at the end of the fourth it had been pushed to 19.  

Freshman Olivia Bell was fantastic in her Tiger debut. She scored 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting from the floor including 2 of 5 from deep, and made 8 of 10 free throw attempts.

Key Statistic

The Tigers coughed the ball up 28 times, and Peru turned those miscues into 32 points.

By the Numbers

The Tigers shot 32% from the floor for the game.

They made 5 of 26 of their attempts from deep for a 19% efficiency.

They had a good night at the charity stripe, finishing 18 of 23.

Despite losing the turnover battle, the Tigers out-rebounded the Bobcats 46-44.

Tiger Leaders

Points: Olivia Bell (28)

Rebounds: Briasia Garza, Olivia Bell (9)        

Assists: Briasia Garza (3)

Steals: 4 Tigers (1)

Blocks: Rachel Stark (3)                                                                   

Coaches Quote:

"Man the future of Tiger basketball is looking up. It might take a little while to get us firing on all cylinders, but when we do, we will be fun to watch. We had five freshman make their college debut and play significant minutes, and each of them had glimpses of what they will bring to the team. It was awesome to see them grow quarter by quarter. We definitely have things to work on, but I am so excited to be able to work with this team. Go Tigers!" – Coach Barreiro

Next Up

The Tigers (0-1) are off until November 8 when they welcome crosstown rival McPherson College to Jerry E. Alexander Arena in the "Mayors Cup". Tip-off is slated for 6:00 pm.