(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., March 1)—The McKendree University women's basketball team saw its 2017-18 season come to an end Thursday night with an 86-54 loss to No. 3-ranked Drury University in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at the Vadalabene Center.
 
The Bearcats, who entered the GLVC Tournament as the No. 8 seed, were limited to just 35.9 percent shooting by the Panthers in the contest. Drury, the tournament's top-seeded team, collected 25 steals and used a 31-point third quarter scoring outburst to pull away for the victory.
 
McKendree closes its season with an overall record of 12-14. McKendree had its three-game win streak snapped on Thursday by the Panthers.
 
Sophomore guard Jordan Heberg led a balanced attack for McKendree with 13 points, while sophomore forward Shayli Florine came off the bench to post 11 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Senior guard Abby Smith (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville), playing her final contest in a Bearcats' uniform, dished out a team-best three assists while adding six points. McKendree's other senior on the roster, forward Shauniera Wilson (Springfield, Ill./Southeast), had two points and a pair of blocked shots in the effort.
 
"To see our team progress from Missouri until now, it's been great to see our progress," said McKendree head coach Kari Kerkhoff, referring to the Bearcats' exhibition game at the University of Missouri back on Nov. 6. "This is a young team that has had to grow quickly, and there is a bright future because of the experiences they gained this year. Abby and Shauniera have been a big part of what we are growing here. I'm proud of what we have accomplished so far, and the future only gets brighter."
 
After Wilson gave McKendree a 2-0 lead on the Bearcats' first possession, Drury reeled off nine consecutive points to build a 9-2 advantage midway through the first quarter. The Panthers kept constant pressure on McKendree, forcing 12 turnovers in the period while stretching its lead to 22-11 after 10 minutes of play.
 
Drury eventually pushed the margin to as many as 18 points before the Bearcats made a run late in the half. McKendree outscored the Panthers 10-3 over the final 3:48 of the half, capping the run with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Heberg to cut the deficit to 41-30 at the intermission.

In the second half, Drury continued to add to its lead, using a 10-0 to take a 69-36 advantage with 92 seconds left in the third quarter. The Panthers grabbed their largest lead of the contest at 86-46 on a three-pointer from Lexie Vaught at the 4:02 mark of the final period. Thursday night's victory was the 12^th straight triumph for Drury.
 
Hailey Diestelkamp netted a game-high 20 points to show the way for Drury. She also added six rebounds and four steals. Lucia Fernandez chipped in with 14 points and three steals, while Daejah Bernard and Lexie Vaught each collected five steals for the Panthers, who will play fourth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tourament semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.