(QUINCY, Ill., Nov. 17)—The McKendree University women's basketball team was defeated by Upper Iowa University Friday in the opening round of the QU Tip-Off Classic hosted by Quincy University, 70-63.
 
Upper Iowa shot 52.6 percent in the second half (10-of-19) while holding McKendree to just 29.4 percent from the floor (10-of-34) over the same span to pull away and collect the victory. The Bearcats slip to 1-1 on the young season and will look to rebound Saturday at 1 p.m. against Winona State University.
 
Sophomore guard Jordan Heberg led all scorers with 17 points for McKendree before fouling out. Freshman guard Callie Pohlman contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three steals while senior forward Shauniera Wilson (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) – making her first collegiate start – had 11 points and team-leading totals of seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree raced to a 9-2 lead over the first three minutes of action. Upper Iowa (2-2) responded by scoring eight of the next 11 points to pull within 13-10 at the four-minute mark of the first quarter. A three-pointer by freshman guard Sydney Diekhoff pushed the Bearcats' advantage back to 16-10. After leading 18-14 at the end of the period, McKendree was able to maintain its advantage for the majority of the second quarter. The Bearcats' largest advantage in the period came at 28-22 thanks to a three-pointer from Pohlman with 5:10 left until halftime. The Peacocks then put together an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to knot the score at 30-30.
 
A lay-up from Heberg with 1:48 on the clock before the intermission gave McKendree its final lead of the night at 32-30. Just before the first half buzzer, Upper Iowa's Ashley Ray drilled a three-pointer to give the Peacocks a 33-32 lead at the break. Upper Iowa controlled most of the play in the third quarter, building a 10-point lead late in the period before Wilson scored on a lay-up and sophomore forward Megan Jensen also scored in the paint on the Bearcats' final possession to bring McKendree within 48-42 after three quarters of play.
 
Over the first 2:19 of the fourth quarter, Upper Iowa used a decisive 10-3 run to stretch its margin to 58-45 as McKendree was held without a field goal over that span. The Bearcats then made one final run at the Peacocks, using a 13-3 burst to get within 61-58 with 3:29 to play. Heberg started the run by converting a rare four-point play as five different players scored in the span.
 
But Upper Iowa was able to hold on down the stretch, hitting six straight free throws over the final 42 seconds to seal the win. Natalie Dinius led a balanced attack for Upper Iowa with 15 points, while Haley Martin recorded a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.