In a battle for the top spot in the conference standings, the eighth-ranked McLennan women fell to the Collin Cougars 75-63.
Collin led 3-2 early in the game. A Charnelle Hoof jumper from the lane started a 6-0 run by McLennan, putting the team up 8-3 with 7:36 to go in the quarter. The Cougars' first field goal of the game, a put back by Olivia Grgicevich Lassey, swung the momentum in Collin's favor. An 11-0 run over the next three minutes gave the Cougars the 14-8 advantage and the squad extended the cushion to eight by quarter's end, 21-13.
McLennan briefly cut the lead to six with a Danai Lewis put back but Collin took control again. The Cougars continued to push, extending the lead to 16 down the stretch, 34-18. Jalayah Ingram kept McLennan in the game, scoring nine points late in the quarter. Collin led 37-24 with just under a minute to play. A McLennan still followed by a Hannah Mouton layup made it a nine-point Cougar advantage at the break, 37-28.
An Alisha Nunley 3-pointer from the wing opened the third quarter and pushed the lead to 12. McLennan heated up from 3-point range with Tajenae Gooden and Ingram combining to sink three in a row to pull the squad back within three, 40-37 with seven minutes on the clock. Once again Collin pulled away, going back ahead by 12 heading into the final quarter, 55-43.
McLennan rallied in the fourth, pulling within eight on a Kennedi Ard 3-pointer with 6:30 to play. A 5-0 Collin run put the Cougars back up by 13. McLennan was able to cut the lead back to 10 several times late in the quarter but couldn't get any closer.
Ingram led the McLennan scorers with 20 points, and Gooden added 16.
Collin: Kenzie Willis-Gusters 6 3-5 16; Olivia Grgicevich Lassey 4 5-5 13; lla Macleod 3 3-4 10; Mufaro Mapengo 3 0-0 7; Alisha Nunley 8 3-4 22; Sara Basaran 1 2-2 4; Kennedi Holmes 0 0-0 0; Taliah Martin 0 1-2 1; Totals: 26 17-22 75.
McLennan: Hannah Mouton 2 0-0 4; Jalayah Ingram 7 5-6 20; Andrea Johnson 0 0-0 0; Kennedi Ard 3 0-0 9; Charnelle Hoof 3 0-0 6; Tajenae Gooden 6 1-2 16; Tyla Roberts 2 1-2 5; Amerie Flowers 0 1-3 1; Danai Lewis 1 0-0 2; Totals: 24 8-15 63.
First Quarter score: Collin 21, McLennan 13; Halftime score: Collin 37, McLennan 28
Third quarter score: Collin 55, McLennan 43; 3-pointers: Collin 6 (Nunley 3, Willis-Gusters 1, Macleod 1, Mapengo 1), McLennan 7 (Ard 3, Gooden 3, Ingram 1; Total fouls: Collin 15, McLennan 22; Record: McLennan 16-1 (4-1).
