GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE -- Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, 3 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 15)—The McKendree University women's basketball team will make its home debut for the 2019-20 season Sunday afternoon when the Bearcats play host to Missouri Southern State University in non-conference action. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon.
McKendree has matched its best start since the 2011-12 season by winning its first three contests. The Bearcats needed a fourth-quarter rally in their last outing against Upper Iowa University on Wednesday, outscoring the Peacocks 24-11 in the last 10 minutes to post a 61-56 win. McKendree received a pair of double-doubles from seniors
Madison Hart (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek) (16 points, 16 rebounds) and
Brianna Johnson (Lodi, WI/Beaver Dam) (13 points, 12 rebounds) to set the tone for the victory. Sophomore
Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) added 15 points in the effort, which saw McKendree overcome an 11-point deficit in the later stages of the third quarter.
Senior
Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) leads the Bearcats in scoring through three games at 14.7 points per game. Heberg is 15-of-18 from the free throw line (83.3 percent) to open the season. Krause is next at 12.7 PPG, followed by Hart at 11.3 PPG. Hart -- whose 16 rebounds at Upper Iowa marked a career-high – also leads McKendree on the boards at 11 RPG. Junior guard
Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North) has dished out a team-best 14 assists through three contests.
The Bearcats opened their season last weekend at the Prairie Stars Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Ill., with victories against Purdue University Northwest (60-46) and Tiffin University (84-77). McKendree's 3-0 start already puts the team halfway toward last season's victory total in games away from Lebanon. The Bearcats, who were 13-15 on the year, won six games in road/neutral sites contests in 2018-19.
Following Sunday's meeting with Missouri Southern State, McKendree will have 12 days off before returning to action Nov. 29 at the Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. The Bearcats will meet host Missouri Western State in the first contest before taking on Northwest Missouri State University in an afternoon tilt Nov. 30.
ABOUT MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE
The Lions are 1-2 this season. They dropped a pair of games last weekend in the GAC/MIAA Challenge before bouncing back to defeat Graceland University on Wednesday. As a team, Missouri Southern State is averaging 75.3 points per game while giving up 70 per contest.
Chasidee Owens and Destiny Cozart share team-high scoring honors at 17 PPG. Cozart is shooting 84.6 percent from the line, hitting 13 of her first 15 attempts from the stripe. Zoe Campbell is nearly averaging a double-double at 13.3 points and nine rebounds per outing. Amber Buch is the Lions' leader in assists with 15.
Sunday's game will mark the first meeting in the Bearcats' NCAA Division II era between McKendree and Missouri Southern State.
