(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 17)--The McKendree University women's basketball team dropped a 72-55 decision Thursday night at home in Great Lakes Valley Conference play against Drury University.
 
The Panthers, ranked No. 2 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, raced to a 14-3 start en route to its 16^th consecutive win to start the 2018-19 season. McKendree moved to 8-7 on the year and 2-4 in conference action. The Bearcats will close out a season-long four-game home stand Saturday afternoon when Missouri S&T visits the Statham Center in Lebanon. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
 
Junior guard Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) paced a balanced attack for McKendree with 13 points, which included a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) contributed 11 points as freshman guard Haley Zylka (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek) pulled down a season-high seven rebounds for the Bearcats.
 
Drury (16-0, 6-0 GLVC) hit its first four field goal attempts and five of its first six in jumping out to its 14-3 lead. McKendree battled back and used an 8-2 run to pull within 16-11 midway through the first quarter. Heberg sank a trio of free throws, followed by a three-pointer from Diekhoff before junior forward capped the burst with a lay-up. The Panthers were able to stretch the lead back out to double figures, taking a 27-17 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
 
McKendree scored the first seven points of the second quarter to slash its deficit to 27-24 with 7:24 remaining in the first half. That was as close as the Bearcats would get as Drury scored the next nine points and eventually grabbed a 42-28 lead at the intermission. The Panthers continued to add to their lead throughout the second half to remain the lone undefeated team in GLVC play this season.
 
Paige Robinson dropped in a game-high 19 points to lead Drury, while Hailey Diestelkamp added 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Panthers.