Box Score (RENSSELAER, Ind., Jan. 26)- Sophomore guard Caty Ponce (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) and freshman guard Liz Gilman (St. Louis, Mo./Principia) poured in a career-high 32 and 24 points, respectively, to lead the McKendree University women's basketball team to its first Great Lakes Valley Conference victory on Saturday.

The win snapped an eight-game skid and helped the Bearcats improve to 6-11 overall and 1-8 in the GLVC. McKendree will be back on the road on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 5:15 p.m. contest at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Joining Ponce and Gilman in double-figure scoring for the Bearcats were junior guard Brittany Willis (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway South) and senior forward Shelby Woelfel (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville) with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Willis also dished out a career-high eight assists in the victory.

McKendree benefitted early by Ponce's big night, as she had 11 points in the opening four minutes of the contest to help held an early 11-7 lead. The Pumas took its only lead of the game, 14-13, with 13:40 left in the half, but McKendree bounded back and gained its first double-digit lead of the contest, 26-16, on a three-pointer by Gilman at the 9:42 mark. Saint Joseph's battled back and cut McKendree's lead down to 42-39 at the half.

The Bearcats went on a 10-0 run to start the second half to build a 52-39 lead. McKendree led by double-digits for the remainder of the contest behind a 55.6-percent shooting effort from the field in the second half, including a 66.7-percent clip from behind the arc, to pick up its first conference victory.

Kiki Wilson led Saint Joseph's with 14 points.