2019-20 McKENDREE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 10)—McKendree University women's basketball coach
Kari Kerkhoff officially released the Bearcats' 2019-20 schedule on Thursday.
The 28-game regular-season slate features an extended Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule in 2019-20, where teams will play 20 league games. Three exhibition games also dot the Bearcats' schedule for the coming year.
"I really feel like we have a very competitive, challenging schedule for our veteran team this year," said Kerkhoff, who enters her fifth season at McKendree. "Even before we jump into the regular season, we have two exhibition games in three days against some very good NCAA Division I programs, and we look forward to how those games will set the tone for our year."
McKendree will take the court for the first time in 2019-20 on Friday, Nov. 1 with an exhibition game just across the river at Saint Louis University. Two days later, the Bearcats head to Bloomington, Ind., to face off against Indiana University. McKendree's third and final exhibition game will come just two weeks before Christmas on Friday, Dec. 13, when Columbia College visits the Harry M. Statham Sports Center for the first time since 2011.
As it has the previous few seasons, McKendree will tip off its regular-season slate with two games in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge. The University of Illinois Springfield will host four teams in the event Nov. 8-9, with the Bearcats facing Purdue University Northwest on Friday, Nov. 8 before ending the weekend against Tiffin University on Saturday, Nov. 9. Both games are scheduled for a noon tip.
After visiting Upper Iowa University on Nov. 13, McKendree will play its first home game of the new season on Sunday, Nov. 17 against Missouri Southern State University. The Bearcats will wrap up the month of November at the Missouri Western State University Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 29-30.
"I believe our non-conference schedule will help us prepare for Great Lakes Valley Conference play," said Kerkhoff. "We jump in during the first few weeks and need to be ready to play some very talented teams during that span."
The first game of the GLVC slate comes on Thursday, Dec. 3 with a home game against the University of Southern Indiana. After hosting Columbia in exhibition action 10 days later, the Bearcats will head to Puerto Rico for a pair of games against NCAA Division II competition. McKendree will face the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Dec. 17 before closing its stay two days later against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
"We are looking forward to our trip to Puerto Rico," said Kerkhoff. "Not only will we play twice down there, we will be involved in some community service projects and will have a great opportunity to do some team bonding."
The Bearcats will jump back exclusively into GLVC play following the holiday break with a four-game home stand beginning on Thursday, Jan. 2 against Southwest Baptist University. In all, McKendree will play 11 regular-season home games, with Senior Day set for Saturday, Feb. 22 against the University of Illinois Springfield.
The revamped 20-game GLVC schedule will have McKendree facing four schools in a home-and-home series in 2019-20: Southern Indiana, Bellarmine University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood University. Southwest Baptist and Lindenwood are first-time league members this season.
Once again, the GLVC Tournament will be held at the Vadalabene Center on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The event will run March 5-8.
