Box Score (ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 2)- The McKendree University women's basketball team mounted a second-half comeback in its conference opener on Friday, but came up short in a 79-68 loss at Maryville University.

The Bearcats fall to 1-8 overall and 0-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and will travel to University of Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday for a GLVC game at 1 p.m.

Junior guard/forward Jameeka Bouie (Racine, Wis./Case) led all players with 18 points, including four three-pointers, while senior guard Caty Ponce (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) scored 15 points for McKendree. Sophomore forward Emily Pusheck (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) had 11 points, while junior guard/forward Danielle Amann-Stewart (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) added 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Bearcats struggled offensively in the opening half, shooting 32.1 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. A layup by Ponce tied the game, 10-10, at the 15:18 mark of the first half, but Maryville went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to jump out to a 20-10 lead. The Saints extended its lead later in the hlf and held a 44-23 lead at the break.

McKendree ramped up its defensive pressure and forced the hosts to commit 16 turnovers that turned into 17 second half points for the Bearcats. After only scoring eight points in the paint in the opening half, McKendree scored 26 points in the paint in the second half, including a layup by sophomore guard Amber Alexander (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) that cut the deficit to 61-52 with 5:46 remaining in the game. Maryville went on to make 12 of its 16 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.