(LEBANON, Ill., March 6)—The McKendree University women’s basketball team outscored Missouri Baptist University 16-1 in the final five minutes of play to pull away for a 69-50 victory Thursday in the semifinal round of the 2008 American Midwest Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament.

 

The Bearcats, who are the top seed in the AMC Tournament, held the Spartans without a field goal over the final 5:26 of play in collecting their 12^th consecutive victory. McKendree, now 23-8 overall, will host the AMC Tournament championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m., against Columbia College. The third-seeded Cougars outlasted Harris-Stowe State University 63-56 in overtime in Thursday’s other AMC semifinal contest.

 

Junior forward Emily Best (Wood River, Ill./East Alton-Wood River) (Wood River, Ill./East Alton-Wood River) scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the way for McKendree, while junior guard Kelsey Park (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) chipped in with 15 points and a team-high four assists. Senior forward Heather Elders (Energy, Ill./Herrin) (Energy, Ill./Herrin) also scored in double figures with 10 points.

 

McKendree led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but Missouri Baptist (14-16) kept chipping away at the deficit and pulled to within 53-49 on a lay-up by Omega Key with 5:26 remaining. Best hit two free throws at the 4:49 mark, and Park followed with a three-pointer to extend the Bearcats’ lead back to 58-49. The run grew to 12 points as McKendree pushed the lead to 65-49. A free throw by Nikia Henry with 1:33 to play accounted for the Spartans’ only point during the decisive Bearcat run.

 

In the first half, McKendree broke out to a 20-9 lead with seven different players scoring in the first 13 minutes of play. The Bearcats eventually took a 32-15 lead before two Missouri Baptist free throws in the closing seconds pulled the Spartans within 32-17 at the half. McKendree forced 17 Missouri Baptist turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.

 

For Missouri Baptist, Henry scored a team-high 14 points. Key followed with 13 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Julie Leach posted 10 points and eight rebounds for Missouri Baptist.

 

McKendree will now host its first AMC Tournament championship game since 1999, when the Bearcats recorded a 69-64 overtime win over William Woods University. McKendree will be looking for its fifth AMC Tournament title in 11 years, and its first since 2006, when the Bearcats held off Missouri Baptist 50-48 in St. Louis.