(LEBANON, Ill. – Nov. 30) – The McKendree University women's basketball dropped their first contest of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) 2020-21 season 70-61 to Rockhurst, Sunday afternoon.

Kari Kerkhoff's team started off with power, taking an 18-12 lead after the first quarter. The Bearcats started to add pressure as they drew numerous fouls to chip away at the Rockhurst lead. A steal by Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) from a bad pass led to a fast break and drive it into the lane to cut the Hawks' lead to one with 1:48 left in the third. They would tie the game 42-42 heading into the final quarter. The Bearcats were down by as many as 10 and erased a double-digit deficit to momentarily take the lead late in the third.

A good mix of freshmen and returning players led the way for the Bearcats in this contest. Senior Madison Jones (Abingdon, IL/Abiingdon-Avon) led the team with 17 points, including her 6-6 attempts from the free throw line, and two steals. Redshirt-junior Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) added 13 points, including her two three-pointers. Freshman Christy Fortune (Appleton, WI/Appleton West) drew 12 points and one steal in her debut for the Bearcats.

Rockhurst came back with retaliation in the second quarter, outscoring the Bearcats 18-to-six to take the 32-24 lead heading into halftime. The Bearcats battled with the Hawks through another 10 minutes and went into the final quarter with a tie game. The Hawks pulled ahead form the full-court pressure by the Bearcats, to a six-point lead with 3:03 left in the fourth.

Daly Sullivan led the Hawks with 14 points, three assists, and was 2-2 in free throw attempts. Keegan Sullivan was right behind with 12 points and went 2-3 in attempts from the arch.

The Bearcats will have a few days off before their first road game of the season. They will travel to Rolla, MO to face Missouri S&T on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 PM.