(KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 9)--The McKendree University women's basketball team parlayed its best offensive effort of the 2018-19 season into an 85-71 victory Saturday afternoon at Rockhurst University.
 
The Bearcats scored a season-high in points and also connected on a season-best 52.5 percent of their shots from the field -- including a 6-of-11 performance from three-point range -- to pick up a key Great Lakes Valley Conference win. McKendree improves to 12-10 on the season and is now 6-7 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will continue their four-game road trip on Thursday with a visit to the University of Southern Indiana. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Four starters scored in double figures for McKendree in Saturday's win at Rockhurst. Sophomore guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) showed the way with 20 points whle adding six rebounds and a game-high five assists. Junior guard Jordan Heberg (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield North) chipped in with 17 points, while sophomore guard Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North) added a season-high 12 points which included a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort from the floor. Junior forward Megan Jensen (Union, MO/Saint Francis Borgia Regional) narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds for the Bearcats.
 
The 52.5 percent shooting effort from the field on Saturday eclipsed the Bearcats' previous season-high of 50.8 percent, which came in a 72-55 triumph at the University of Missouri-St. Louis back on Nov. 29. In addition, McKendree's 54.5 percent from three-point range marked the first time all season that the Bearcats topped the 50 percent marked from downtown. Saturday's triumph was also the first for McKendree over Rockhurst since joining the GLVC back in 2012-13.
 
Both teams set a torrid offensive pace in the first quarter. McKendree scored the first six points of the afternoon and raced to an 11-2 lead in the first three minutes of play before Rockhurst battled back to tie the game for the 17-17 with 1:37 left in the period. A three-pointer from Heberg followed by a lay-up from Pohlman pushed the Bearcats back in front as the McKendree held a 24-22 lead after 10 minutes of play. McKendree shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) in the first quarter.
 
Rockhurst (7-14, 3-10 GLVC) pulled even at 25-25 in the first 90 seconds of the second quarter before McKendree put together a game-changing run. The Bearcats scored the next 11 points to take their first double-digit lead of the contest, 36-25, with 4:35 remaining until halftime. Diekhoff scored nine of the 11 points during the run for McKendree, which she capped with a three-pointer following a steal by senior forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South). In fact, the Bearcats scored all of their baskets on the 11-0 burst after getting steals on the defensive end of the floor.
 
McKendree shot 58.1 percent from the field (18-of-31) in taking a 40-35 lead at the intermission. The Bearcats extended their margin in the early stages of the third quarter, building a 57-43 on a lay-up by freshman guard Haley Zylka (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek) with exactly three minutes left in the period. The Hawks answered by scoring the next 10 points to slash McKendree's lead to 57-53 with just over a minute remaining in the quarter. After the junior guard Madison Hart (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek) hit a lay-up to extend the Bearcats' lead back to six points, Rockhurst's Madeline Ronshausen drained a three-pointer to help the Hawks pull within 59-56 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The game remained close in the opening moments before McKendree took control thanks to a 12-1 run that stretched the Bearcats out to their largest lead of the game, 76-61, with 4:41 on the clock. McKendree held Rockhurst without a field goal for nearly five minutes during the fourth quarter as the Bearcats put the game away at the free throw line. McKendree scored 26 points in the period, 14 of which came from the foul line. The Bearcats were 9-of-10 from the stripe over the last five minutes of action.
 
Ronshausen poured in a game-high 32 points to lead Rockhurst. Kaci German added 12 points and team-leading totals of six rebounds and four assists for the Hawks.