(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Nov. 21)—The McKendree University women's basketball team was defeated on a last-second shot Wednesday night at Lincoln University, 72-70.
 
The Bearcats overcame a six-point deficit in the final minute to tie the contest at 70-70, but Lincoln's Tempary Gunter pulled down an offensive rebound and scored just before the buzzer sounded to give the host Blue Tigers the victory. McKendree slips to 3-2 on the season and will have a week to prepare for their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener next Thursday – Nov. 29 – at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m.
 
Junior forward Shayli Florine (Galesburg, IL/Galesburg) poured in a career-high 22 points – 12 of which came in the first quarter – to lead the offensive attack for McKendree. Florine also grabbed seven rebounds against the Blue Tigers. Sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) added 19 points and a team-best five assists, while senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) hauled in nine rebounds to lead the Bearcats.
 
Lincoln (4-0) held a 50-45 lead after three quarters of play and stretch the margin to 59-49 with just over six minutes remaining when McKendree rallied. The Bearcats chipped away at the deficit and pulled with 65-62 thanks to a three-pointer from Diekhoff with 2:48 to play. The Blue Tigers regrouped and scored five of the next seven points to extend their cushion back to 70-64 with 1:02 on the clock.
 
Florine began the Bearcats' late comeback when she scored on a lay-up with 47 seconds remaining to slash the Lincoln lead to 70-66. Following a timeout, McKendree forced a turnover, and freshman guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) hit a lay-up on the ensuing possession to trim the margin to 70-68 just six seconds later. The Bearcats held defensively, and Pohlman capped the rally with her lay-up at the 11-second mark to tie things at 70-70.
 
Lincoln's Zoi Thompson was off the mark on a shot with two seconds left, but Gunter grabbed the rebound and released her game-winning shot before time expired to help the Blue Tigers remain undefeated.
 
After Lincoln raced to a 7-0 lead in the opening moments of play, McKendree bounced back with the help of Florine. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the opening period as the Bearcats pulled within 21-20 after 10 minutes of play. McKendree grabbed its first lead of the contest with 6:11 left until halftime when junior guard Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) sank two free throws to push the Bearcats in front at 26-25. The Blue Tigers then held McKendree to just one field goal over the final six minutes in regaining a 30-28 lead at the intermission.
 
At the start of the third quarter, Lincoln opened with a 7-2 run to build a 37-30 lead when McKendree battled back. Diekhoff hit back-to-back three-pointers to highlight an 8-0 run that helped the Bearcats surge back in front at 38-37 with 6:45 left in the period. The teams exchanged leads over the next few minutes before the Blue Tigers moved back in front and took their five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Zhanesha Dickerson registered a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Lincoln, while Thompson finished with 20 points and five rebounds for the Blue Tigers.