(EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Dec. 12) – The McKendree women's basketball started off strong in their game against Southern Indiana, Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats had three players end in double figures but dropped the contest 48-73.
The height advantage that USI had over the Bearcats did not phase the women going into this game. The Bearcats started off strong from a bucket under the basket by
Christy Fortune (Appleton, WI/Appleton West) from
Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North), followed by a three-pointer from Fortune. The Bearcats would take a 9-2 lead just minutes into the first quarter, forcing USI to take an early timeout. McKendree would maneuver past the Screaming Eagles, forcing their way to the basket while keeping the ball moving, taking as much as a 10-point lead. The Bearcats would find their lead dwindle and be down by one point, two minutes into the second quarter. Their offense would only score eight points in the second quarter and find themselves down 25-34 going into halftime.
The Bearcats put up a more aggressive defense coming out of halftime. Back-to-back three-pointers and two free throw attempts from
Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) would cut their deficit to six, a little under three minutes into the third quarter. The Bearcats saw the gap increase by as many as 23 in the final quarter of the game.
Three McKendree players scored over 13 points during the afternoon contest.
Madison Jones (Abingdon, IL/Abiingdon-Avon) scored a high 15 points in the contest, with a 63.6 shooting percentage. Diekhoff and Fortune both added 13 points apiece. Diekhoff went 3-for-7 in three-point attempts and 2-for-2 in free throws. Fortune went 6-for-10 in shots, with a 60.0 shooting percentage.
The Screaming Eagles had a height advantage over the Bearcats and wanted to utilize it for this matchup. They would get on the board first, but could not respond to the Bearcats' scoring run, and find themselves down by seven before the first timeout. They would work their way back in the final two minutes of the first quarter, cutting their deficit to just one point. The Screaming Eagles would take the one-point lead after nearly two minutes into the second quarter and build from the momentum of a 13-0 run. They would end the first half with a 34-25 lead.
The tight full-court press from the Bearcats would force the Screaming Eagles to work for their points and hold onto their lead. The Screaming Eagles would go on a 5-0 run to end the third quarter. They saw their biggest lead of the game at 23 points.
Southern Indiana was led by four players who scored in double figures. Emma DeHart scored 28 points with a 57.9 shooting percentage. She was followed by Soffia Rieckers who scored 13 points and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Ashley Hunter added 11 points, while Meredith Raley tallied 10 point.
Kari Kerkhoff and her team will be back in the Harry M. Statham Sports Center for their next contest. They will host their rescheduled game against the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University at 3:30 PM.
