(LEBANON, Ill., March 2)--The McKendree University women's basketball team battled back from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to force overtime on Saturday at home against the University of Southern Indiana, but a pair of free throws in the closing seconds lifted the visiting Screaming Eagles to a 75-73 win at the Statham Center.
 
Despite the last-second setback, McKendree was able to lock up the eighth and final berth into the field for the 2019 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament that will be held next week at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill. The eighth-seeded Bearcats, who finished the regular season with a 13-14 overall record and 8-11 GLVC mark, will take on top-seeded Drury University on Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m., in a tournament quarterfinal contest.
 
On Senior Day in Lebanon, sophomore Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) finished just one point shy of her career-high as she dropped in 26 points to lead all players. Diekhoff also registered a career-high seven steals, five of which came in the first half. Junior forward Megan Jensen (Union, MO/Saint Francis Borgia Regional) notched her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, which matched a career-high. Making her first career start, freshman Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) netted 11 points and added three blocked shots.
 
Prior to Saturday's contest, guard/forward Jordan Morton (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) and student manager Kelsey Smith were honored in a pre-game ceremony. Morton added five points and five rebounds in 27 minutes of action against the Screaming Eagles.
 
After trailing 39-26 at the half, McKendree shot 66.7 percent during a third-quarter outburst that trimmed the 13-point deficit down to just two entering the final period. The Bearcats started their comeback by holding USI without a field goal for nearly three minutes while using an 8-1 run to pull within 42-39 with 5:44 left in the third quarter. McKendree got as close as a point on two different occasions later in the period before Southern Indiana was able to forge a 54-52 lead with 10 minutes left in regulation.
 
Seven straight points to open the final period enabled the Screaming Eagles to regain a 61-52 advantage with 7:36 on the clock. McKendree once again whittled away at the visitors' lead and pulled even at 66-66 on a pair of free throws by Diekhoff with 3:11 to go. The teams traded scores before Krause made one of two free throws with 45.5 seconds left in regulation to give the Bearcats a 69-68 lead. Southern Indiana scored on its next possession, then hit one of two free throws following a McKendree miss to stretch its lead to 71-69 with 27.7 seconds on the clock.
 
After a McKendree timeout, Krause drove the lane and scored on a lay-up with 22.4 seconds left to knot the score at 71-71. The Screaming Eagles played for the last shot but came up empty to second the contest into overtime.
 
McKendree scored first in the extra period thanks to a jumper from Diekhoff at the 3:16 mark. USI scored on its next possession to tie the game at 73-73. The two teams battled late into the period before the Bearcats were able to secure a rebound after a Screaming Eagles' miss with 21 seconds on the clock to give McKendree a shot at the win. Following a turnover in the waning seconds, the Bearcats were whistled for a foul on the defensive end with 1.3 seconds to play. USI's Emma DeHart then hit two free throws to give the Screaming Eagles the win.
 
In the first half, Southern Indiana (20-8, 13-5 GLVC) shot 55.6 percent from the field to open up its 13-point halftime advantage. After leading 17-14 following the first quarter, the Screaming Eagles hit 66.7 percent of their shots from the field in the second period. USI used a run of 12 consecutive points to open a 29-16 lead with 6:09 left until halftime. Southern Indiana later took its largest lead of the afternoon at 38-22 with 1:36 on the clock before the Bearcats scored the final four points of the half.
 
Four USI players reached double figures in the scoring column, led by 16 points and 10 rebounds from Kacy Eschweiler. Alex Davidson added 14 points, six rebounds and five steals before fouling out.