After an 18-18 tie, Tabor grabbed and held the advantage for more than 16 minutes midway through the game before giving way to Beal, who nabbed a 46-44 lead for her team with a layup-and-one at 11:34.
Beal gave Southwestern the lead for good, 52-49, with a 3-pointer with 7:01 to go, but the Bluejays stayed within striking distance.
Before the end game began, Stephanie Silvas knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to pull the Bluejays within 58-56.
But a traditional three-point play by Amy Laible made it 61-56 with 2:22 to go. Laible?s score forced Tabor to either foul or force turnovers, and the Moundbuilders closed out the game with foul shots.
After posting 40 points in the first half?an effort that included three 3-pointers and a 9-for-13 string at the foul line?Tabor went just 2-for-8 from the arc and took only five foul shots in the second half.
The Bluejays field goal percentage declined from 56 to 29, and Tabor committed twice as many turnovers in the second half (14) as in the first half (7).
Beal led all scorers with 20 points. Silvas led Tabor with 16 points and had 6 assists without committing a turnover.
McPherson?Tabor began with an 8-0 run and stoked the lead to 32-18 at the conclusion of the first half. Kirsten Watson had 12 points at the break.
McPherson was unable to solve the Bluejays in the second half, and Tabor rattled off a 13-2 run behind freshmen Sarah Wyckoff and Gina Hullet, who scored back-to-back 3-point plays set up by Chelsea Malone.
Malone buried a 3-pointer assisted by Wyckoff for a 45-23 lead with 11:44 remaining in the game.
Andrea Robinson pushed the lead to 25 with 9:39 left. But the Bluejay shooters went cold and the Bulldogs finished the game with an 18-6 stretch.
Robinson finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Jordan Crosson led Tabor with nine boards and two blocked shots.
As a group, Bluejay rebounders dominated the glass 48-39, and the Tabor defense limited McPherson to 27 percent on field goals?and to just 8-for-33 shooting in the first half.
Coming?Tabor (2-7) visits Kansas Wesleyan at 6 p.m. Thursday and Friends at 5 p.m. Saturday.
