(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 19)--The McKendree University women's basketball team took control over the final 10 minutes of its Saturday afternoon home game against Missouri S&T to register a 76-63 victory over the Miners.
 
The Bearcats shot 66.7 percent (8-of-12) in the fourth quarter while holding Missouri S&T to just 27.3 percent from the floor (3-of-11) in the same span to earn their first win in five outings. McKendree pushed its season record to 9-7 while going to 3-4 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats will be on the road for their next two contests, beginning with a Thursday night match-up at Quincy University. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Quincy, Ill.
 
Four Bearcats finished the afternoon in double figures, led by 15 points from junior guard Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North). Senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) and junior forward Shayli Florine (Galesburg, IL/Galesburg) each connected for 13 points in the win. Morton notched a double-double against Missouri S&T as she added a game-high 10 rebounds and led the Bearcats with three steals, while Florine chipped in with six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
 
Sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) also reached double digits in the scoring column with 11 points. Sophomore guard Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North) handed out five assists in the effort. The 76 points scored by McKendree on Saturday is a season-high for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree took a slim 58-57 lead into the fourth quarter. After Missouri S&T (6-7, 2-4 GLVC) scored in the first minute of the period to regain a 59-58 advantage, the Bearcats scored six straight points to surge in front for good at 64-59 with 5:55 remaining. The Miners scored on their next possession to rally back within three points, but McKendree grabbed all the momentum back by going on a 12-0 run to extend its lead to 76-61 with just under a minute to play.
 
During its decisive run, the Bearcats held Missouri S&T scoreless on seven consecutive possessions, which included five missed shots from the floor along with a pair of turnovers. Heberg led the charge offensively during the spurt with eight of the 12 points for McKendree.
 
The Bearcats raced out to a 13-4 lead to start Saturday's game and pushed the margin to as many as 15 points before holding a 27-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Missouri S&T chipped away at the deficit, getting as close as two points in the last 50 seconds of the half before a driving lay-up from freshman guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) on McKendree's final offensive possession of the first half sent the Bearcats into the locker room with a 44-40 lead.
 
McKendree never relinquished the lead in the third quarter despite a 53.8 percent shooting performance from the Miners in the third quarter (7-of-13). Missouri S&T pulled even at 53-53 on a lay-up by Michaela Davis with 3:56 remaining in the period. A jumper and free throw from Heberg helped push the Bearcats back in front by three before the Miners clawed back within 58-57 heading into the final period.
 
Davis came off the bench to lead Missouri S&T with a game-high 19 points. Davis also added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Maddie Raley and Ashley Harvey each connected for 10 points for the Miners.