(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 10)--The McKendree University women's basketball team came up the short end of a 76-67 score Thursday night at home against Maryville University.
 
Four different Bearcats netted double digits in the scoring column as the team dropped its second straight Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. McKendree is now 8-5 on the year and 2-2 in conference play. The Bearcats will continue their home stand Saturday afternoon when the University of Missouri-St. Louis visits the Statham Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. in Lebanon.
 
Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) led the balanced attack for McKendree with 14 points, while junior forward Megan Jensen (Union, MO/Saint Francis Borgia Regional) and sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) each chipped in with 13 points. Diekhoff scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half. Freshman guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) matched a season-high with 11 points for the Bearcats. Senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds, marking her fourth consecutive game with at least 10 rebounds.
 
Maryville (9-5, 3-2 GLVC) edged out to a 19-16 lead after one quarter of play, then shot 58.3 percent in the second period to extend its margin to 41-25 at the intermission. The Saints maintained their double-digit advantage heading into the fourth quarter when McKendree began to rally.
 
Midway through the final period, the Bearcats put together a 7-2 run to trim the deficit to 62-52 with 4:21 remaining. Following a timeout, Maryville was able to stretch its margin to as many as 17 points when ripped off 10 straight points to pull within 72-65 with 50.3 seconds to play. The teams traded scores in the closing seconds before the Saints' Kayla Steward sealed the win by hitting two free throws with 17.4 seconds left.
 
Mary Barton paced the Saints with a game-high 22 points, while Steward registered 15 points, four assists and a game-high four steals. Abby Monis added 13 points and a team-leading nine rebounds for Maryville.
 
McKendree and Maryville recorded a split in its 2018-19 season series, with each team winning on the road. The Bearcats won the first contest, 68-47, back on Dec. 1 in St. Louis.