Photo by Kami Wood

McPherson, Kan. – The Central Christian College women's basketball team fell at home to the John Brown University Golden Eagles on Thursday night 68-41.

The Tigers, who have been battling the injury bug in recent weeks, suffered another setback on Thursday when leading scorer, Olivia Bell, had to leave the game early in the first quarter with a leg injury.

The injury to Bell cast a cloud over the rest of the opening period, and JBU raced out to a 22 to 7 advantage after 10 minutes of play. The Tigers began to regroup in the second quarter, tightening up on defense and holding the Golden Eagles to 15 points, while increasing their offensive output. The teams headed into the locker room with the visitors up 37-17.

The third quarter was the Tigers' best. They went shot for shot with the Golden Eagles, with JBU narrowly winning the quarter 14-13. Fatigue began to show up in the fourth and JBU outscored the Tigers 17 to 11 giving them a 27 point advantage at the final horn.

One positive for the Tigers came from the play of Rachel Perkins. The freshman from Ingram, Texas, who holds the record for three pointers made in a season, and in a career at Harper High School, found her shooting form against the Golden Eagles. She scored set a new career high with 15 points, going 5 of 9 from behind the three point arc.

By the Numbers

It was not a good shooting night for the Tigers, who made 13 of 52 (25%) of their shots from the floor.

They made 7 of 29 (24%) of their attempts from beyond the three point arc.

They were 8 of 11 (73%) from the free throw line.

The Tigers lost the turnover battle 22 to 12, and were out rebounded 50 to 37.

Tiger Leaders

Points: Rachel Perkins (15)

Rebounds: Briasia Garza (10)            

Assists: Briasia Garza (4)

Steals: Briasia Garza, Makia Lovelace (1)

Blocks: Briasia Garza (2)

Coach Quote:

"Tough game. We have been dealing with injuries all year and we had another one to start the game. After a long week of a lot of games, we are a tired bunch. We fought hard against a physical and experienced team. In the second half we showed glimpses of what I hope will be what we produce consistently. Unfortunately the SAC doesn't get easier so we have to regroup quickly for a game against a very solid OCU team." – Coach Barreiro

Next Up
 
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 0-8 overall, and 0-4 in the SAC. They will be back on the hardwood Saturday, when they go on the road to take on the Oklahoma City University Stars in a 2:00 match-up.