HILLSBORO, Kan. – After two exhibition tests against NCAA Division I and II competition last week, the Lady Bluejays returned home to Tabor College Gymnasium on Tuesday evening as they played host to Highway 56 rival McPherson College in their first action in KCAC play since earning a gritty win over Evangel almost two weeks ago.
 
A slow start didn't hamper Tabor too much, as the Bluejays quickly built up a cushion and rolled to an 86-60 victory.
 
Lillie Veer opened the scoring for both sides, sinking a jumper with just under a minute played in the 1^st quarter. McPherson looked to pace TC, adding a bucket of their own before taking a 5-2 lead, courtesy of a Laura Guillamat-Ribo made jumper. With 5:18 left in the quarter, Hailey Contreras gave the Lady Bluejays a slight two-point lead that would start their scoring run. A three from Contreras, followed by two quick buckets by Kloe Bowin and a Kaylee Kauffman three pushed the lead out to 10. Two Bulldog free throws cut Tabor's lead to eight heading into the 2^ndquarter.
 
A three from McPherson's Amarion Tease provided a brief scare, cutting Tabor's lead to three less than a minute into the 2^nd quarter. Kassidy Beam put the Bluejays up by 15 with a beautiful dagger three to give them their largest lead of the night. McPherson's Hannah Cooley hit a quick jumper with three seconds remaining in the half, as Tabor entered the locker room for the halftime break with a 13-point advantage.
 
"We really struggled in the first half offensively", remarked Head Coach Shawn Reed. "I thought our selection could have been better and we took some three's that weren't in rhythm. We can really shoot it but at times we let it fly a little too much. Thankfully we took care of the ball and played well defensively which allowed us to take a 13-point lead into halftime."
 
Things would only get better for the Bluejays in the second half, as their lead ballooned from where it was in the first half. TC erupted in the 3^rd quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs, 28-15, courtesy of 10 points from Beam and eight from Alyvia Owens.
 
Things really took off for the Lady Bluejays in the 4^th quarter, as they broke the 30-point threshold. Kloe Bowin caught fire with a three at the 6:14 mark, followed by a made jumper with 5:22 to go. Tabor held strong, cruising to a 26-point victory.
 
"In the second half we did a much better job of working the ball inside and taking shots within the flow of the game and our efficiency improved tremendously. The third quarter was especially strong at both ends of the court. We fouled a little too much in the second half and there are a few defensive things we need to clean but overall, it was a quality win."
 
"I was also really pleased with how well we scored in transition tonight. We had multiple players who scored layups on the fast break, and it was nice to get some easy buckets."
 
"We play at York on Saturday and that is always a tough place to play. Hopefully we can have two good days of practice to get ready for a much-improved York team."
 
With the win, the Lady Bluejays improve to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in KCAC play as they prepare to hit the road again on Saturday to take on York University.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).