(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 5)--The McKendree University women's basketball team picked up its third consecutive victory Wednesday with a 69-48 non-conference win Wednesday night at home over Missouri Baptist University.
 
Junior guard Madison Hart (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek) registered a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the way for the Bearcats. McKendree improves to 6-2 overall, and matches the program's best start in its NCAA Division II era that began in 2012-13. The Bearcats will look to maintain their winning ways Saturday with a trip to Frankfort, Ky., to take on Kentucky State University. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT).
 
Junior forward Shayli Florine (Galesburg, IL/Galesburg) and sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) each added 11 points in Wednesday's win for McKendree. Diekhoff, senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South), junior forward Megan Jensen (Union, MO/Saint Francis Borgia Regional) and freshman forward Erin Stroberg (Rockford, IL/Rockford East) all pulled down five rebounds for the Bearcats, who held a 53-27 edge on the glass against the visiting Spartans. Florine also blocked three shots in the win.
 
Of its 53 rebounds against Missouri Baptist, McKendree pulled down 18 on the offensive end of the floor. The Bearcats converted those 18 offensive boards into a 21-2 edge in second-chance points.
 
McKendree led from start to finish, opening Wednesday's contest with a 9-2 run over the first five minutes of play. The Bearcats stretched the margin out to as many as 12 points in the first quarter before Missouri Baptist battled back in the opening moments of the second period. The Spartans chipped away and slashed the deficit to 21-13 with 7:58 remaining until halftime.
 
In the later stages of the first half, McKendree ripped off an 8-2 run to extend its lead to 32-17 with 2:26 left in the half. Florine scored half of the Bearcats' points during the burst, hitting a lay-up to cap the run. McKendree stretched the advantage to as many as 16 points before taking a 37-24 lead into the locker room.
 
McKendree turned up the defensive pressure throughout the third quarter, holding Missouri Baptist to just 15.4 percent shooting (2-of-13 in the period. The Bearcats pushed their lead to 55-31 heading into the fourth quarter, then took their largest lead of the night at 66-38 following two free throws from freshman guard Kylie Ballmann (Nashotah, WI/Arrowhead) with 2:56 to play.
 
Megan Fassino was the lone Missouri Baptist player to score in double figures with 10 points. Izzy Farrell came off the bench to dish out four assists and collect a pair of steals for the Spartans.