(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 17)—The McKendree College women’s basketball team used a 23-4 run to end the first half to register a 67-53 victory Saturday at home against the University of Illinois at Springfield.

 

Junior forward Heather Elders (Energy, Ill./Herrin) (Energy, Ill./Herrin) led the scoring attack with 16 points as the Bearcats recorded their sixth consecutive victory. McKendree is now 18-9 overall and 9-3 in the American Midwest Conference. The Bearcats’ win, combined with a 74-72 Columbia College loss at Harris-Stowe State University earlier in the day, pushed McKendree into a first-place tie in the AMC standings.

 

McKendree trailed 21-15 midway through the first half before embarking on its decisive run. The Bearcats scored the first 15 points of the spurt. Elders scored six points during the run, while sophomore guard Kelsey Park (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) added four points, including a pair of free throws with 3:25 left in the period that gave McKendree a 30-21 lead.

 

After Illinois-Springfield pulled back to within 32-25, McKendree scored the final six points of the half, the last two coming on a basket by junior forward Suzy Gerler (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) with two seconds to play. That gave the Bearcats a 38-25 lead at the intermission.

 

The Prairie Stars rallied back at the midway point of the second half, pulling to within 47-44 on a basket and free throw by Tiffany Spellman with 12 minutes left. McKendree answered with an 17-3 run that extended the lead back to 64-47 with 4:35 remaining.

 

Senior forward Emily Hart (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) chipped in with 12 points, while senior guard Katie Hasheider (Okawville, Ill./Okawville) (Okawville, Ill./Okawville) added 11 points for McKendree. Elders and Hasheider each grabbed a team-leading nine rebounds for the Bearcats. Gerler posted 10 points and eight rebounds in the effort.

 

Jasmine Woolfork paced Illinois-Springfield (12-16, 7-5 AMC) with 15 points, while Nicole White had 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds for the Prairie Stars.

     

The win helped McKendree complete the season sweep of Illinois-Springfield. The Bearcats won the first meeting back on Jan. 25 in Springfield, Ill., 80-63.

 

McKendree will play host to Missouri Baptist University Tuesday at 7 p.m. It will be Senior Night at the Melvin Price Convocation Center, and the Bearcats will honor their three senior players prior to the contest – Hart, Hasheider and guard Ayanna Porter (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word).