Box Score (EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., Dec. 30)--The McKendree University women's basketball team nearly overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter in a 64-63 loss in exhibition play Sunday afternoon at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
 
The Bearcats trailed 63-47 with 5:15 to play, but a 16-0 run enabled McKendree to pull even at 63-63 with 52.3 seconds on the clock. But a free throw by the Cougars' Christen King with 1.4 seconds remaining thwarted the Bearcats' upset bid of an NCAA Division I opponent. McKendree will take its 8-3 season record back into Great Lakes Valley Conference action on Saturday at the University of Illinois Springfield. McKendree, which is 2-0 in GLVC play, will face the Prairie Stars at 1 p.m.
 
Sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) led the way for McKendree with 21 points, while junior guard Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) connected for 15 points and added a team-best five rebounds. Senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) finished with seven points and four rebounds as sophomore guard Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North) dished out a team-high five assists for the Bearcats.
 
"I'm so proud of the way our ladies battled from start to finish," said McKendree head coach Kari Kerkhoff. "Even when we were down 16, they never gave up. They played it one possession at a time and started doing the little things needed to come back from a deficit like that. Although we came up just a little short, our team showed heart, and fire, and we are looking to take that kind of effort back into conference play next week."
 
After holding a 50-45 lead after three quarters of play, SIUE (5-6) opened the final period on a 13-2 run to take its largest lead of the contest, 63-47, with 5:15 remaining. McKendree then turned up the defensive pressure, holding the host Cougars without a field goal over the final 5:53 of play. The Bearcats then began their comeback with 11 straight points – capped by a three-pointer from Diekhoff with 1:27 remaining – to trim the deficit to 63-58. After an SIUE miss, Heberg grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 1:07 left. Heberg then sank a pair of free throws to bring McKendree within 63-60.
 
The Bearcats then forced a Cougar turnover at midcourt, giving the ball back to the Bearcats with 1:02 to play. On the ensuing possession, Diekhoff drove the lane down the right side, hit a free throw and was fouled in the process. Diekhoff's free throw finished off McKendree's comeback with 52.3 seconds to play, tying the game at 63-63.
 
Each team was off the mark on its next possession as SIUE held for the final shot. With the clock winding down, King drove into the lane and was fouled with 1.4 seconds to play. She made the first but missed the second attempt, pushing the Cougars in front at 64-63.
 
McKendree called its final timeout to set up one final attempt. Pohlman inbounded the ball to Heberg at the top of the key, and arched a three-point attempt over two defenders just before the buzzer sounded. Heberg's shot was just off the mark, allowing SIUE to escape with the win.
 
SIUE took a 22-17 lead after the first quarter and stretched its margin to 33-21 with 6:06 left until halftime. Following a timeout, McKendree chipped away at the deficit, closing the period on a 13-5 run to rally within 38-34 heading into the locker room.
 
Heberg scored the first four points of the third quarter to help the Bearcats knot the contest at 38-38 with 8:08 on the clock. The teams then battled back and forth until the closing minutes of the period, when the Cougars' Nakiah Bell drilled a three-pointer just ahead of the buzzer to give the hosts a 50-45 cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
 
King finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead SIUE. Allie Troeckler added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars.