OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's basketball team picked up its fifth straight victory, defeating McPherson College 78-61 in Wilson Field House on Tuesday night.

Ottawa opened the first quarter on a 9-0 run while McPherson did not score until the 4:35 mark. The Braves pushed their lead to 13-5 on a basket by Alyssa Guzman. The Bulldogs scored the final two points of the quarter on free throws and the Braves had a 13-7 lead at the start of the second.

McPherson's scoring picked up in the second quarter. The Bulldogs went on a  17-7 run to take a 24-20 lead with 4:10 left in the first half. The teams exchanged baskets and at the 3:15 mark, Ottawa was down 28-24. Ottawa responded by finishing the first half on a 7-1 run, taking a 31-29 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter the OU offense was clicking, outscoring McPherson 28-15.  Hailey Henry started the scoring at the start of the third quarter with two free throws. Two free throws by Maria Moore pushed the Brave lead to 35-29.

Ottawa built its lead to double digits and took a 14 point lead on a 3-pt field goal by Jordan Bianco, 50-36 with three minutes remaining in the third. Katelyn Alatini connected on an old fashioned 3-pt play to push the OU lead to 56-40. Bianco's jumper with 55 seconds on the clock gave the Braves a 58-40 lead. McPherson cut the Brave lead to 14 points, 58-44. Ahoneste Walker was fouled with four seconds on the clock. She made one of two free throws and OU took a 59-44 lead into the fourth.

The Braves continued to pour it on offensively, increasing their lead to 72-51 on a 3-pt field goal by Alatini. OU's defense held the Bulldogs in check for the remainder of the game, taking the 78-61 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Ottawa shot 44.4 percent from the floor, 31.3 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line.
• OU led 8-6 in fast break points, 25-10 in points off turnovers, and 29-18 in bench scoring. McPherson had a 36-34 advantage in points in the paint and led 11-9 in second chance scoring.
• The Braves had four players in double figures, led by Ahoneste Walker's 14 points. She was 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
• Cierra Brown scored 12 points and Jayla Johnson and Maria Moore finished with 11 points apiece.
• Brown led the team in rebounding with nine.
• Walker finished with five assists.
• Katelyn Alatini led OU with two steals.

Who is Next
Ottawa (6-2, 3-0) returns to action on Monday, Nov. 28 against Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.