(SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Dec. 2)—The McKendree University women's basketball team kicked off its Great Lakes Valley Conference slate Saturday afternoon with a 75-57 loss at Drury University.
 
The host Panthers, ranked No. 9 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II ranking, raced to a 28-13 lead after one quarter of play and held off the Bearcats to complete a weekend sweep in conference play. McKendree moves to 1-4 overall and will host Truman State University Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Bearcats' GLVC home opener.
 
Freshman guard Sydney Diekhoff went 5-for-9 from three-point range and finished with a team-high 15 points for McKendree. Sophomore forward Megan Jensen netted 11 of her 13 points in the second half, while senior forward Shauniera Wilson (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) helped out with eight points and eight rebounds for the Bearcats. Junior forward Jordan Morton matched Wilson in sharing team-high honors with eight rebounds as senior guard Abby Smith (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) dished out a game-high six assists for McKendree.
 
The teams traded baskets in the opening moments before Drury (7-1, 2-0 GLVC) reeled off 11 consecutive points to build a 17-6 advantage with 3:53 left in the first period. The Panthers quickly pushed the lead to as many as 16 points before holding its 28-13 lead after one quarter. Drury shot 57.9 percent from the floor (11-of-19) while forcing eight turnovers by the Bearcats in the first 10 minutes of action.
 
McKendree outscored Drury 18-16 in the second quarter thanks in part to connecting on 53.8 percent (7-of-13) of its field goal tries to trim the deficit to 44-31 at the intermission. The Panthers were able to maintain their double-digit advantage the remainder of the contest on the way to their fifth straight victory.
 
For the game, McKendree held a 36-27 edge in bench scoring and registered a 9-5 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Hailey Diestelkamp paced Drury with 16 points, while Lucia Fernandez posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Panthers.