Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 25)- The McKendree University women's basketball team posted a 71-54 win over University of Illinois Springfield on Thursday, and qualified for the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament for the first time in program history.

The Bearcats improved to 12-16 overall and 7-11 in the GLVC, and earned the No. 8 seed, and will host No. 9 seed University of Indianapolis at 1 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Junior forward Emily Pusheck (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) led all players with a career-high 19 points, while junior Shannon McGinnis (Niles, Ill./Trinity) also added a career-high 14 points, and senior Ashley Klass (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North) scored 12 points. Freshman Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) had a team-high 12 rebounds, while junior Amber Alexander (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) dished out a career-high 10 assists. The last player to record double-digit assists in a game was Haley Klingelhoefer at Lindsey Wilson on Nov. 28, 2009.

McKendree led for all but 55-seconds, but never trailed, in the contest. The Prairie Stars cut their deficit to 9-6 with 2:14 left in the first quarter, but the Bearcats rattled off 11-straight points to take a 20-6 lead at the start of the second quarter. A jumper by Kacey Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) gave McKendree its largest lead of the first half, 29-13, with 3:04 left in the half, and went into the break with a 31-18 lead.

The Prairie Stars battled back in the third quarter, cutting the Bearcat's lead to 37-32 with 4:11 left in the third, but McKendree quickly bounced back and ended the period leading 51-36. Two free throws by McGinnis gave the Bearcats a 20-point lead, and McKendree finished the game with a 71-54 win.

Shelbi Patterson led Illinois Springfield with 15 points in the loss.