(LEBANON, Ill. – Dec. 20) – The McKendree University women's basketball team dropped their final home game of the 2020 calendar year, 70-80 to Missouri-St. Louis, Saturday afternoon.

Kari Kerkhoff's team came out strong in the Saturday contest against the Tritons, looking to extend their win-stream to three games. McKendree kept on the tail of the visitors, trailing by one by the end of the first quarter. The Bearcats dominated the second quarter, where they held their biggest lead of the game at nine points with 1:18 left in the first half. That same period, the Bearcats stopped the Triton's offense and limited them to a 30.0 shooting percentage, and shot 69.2 percent for themselves. Both teams came out after halftime struggling to find a rhythm. As for the final quarter, McKendree gained energy off of a charging foul and forced turnovers. Both teams shot 46.7 from the floor, but the Bearcats fell into a 10-point deficit in the final minute.

Callie Pohlman (Appleton, WI/Appleton North) led the way for McKendree going 5-for-9 form the floor and recording a season-high 14 points. Also finishing in double-figures was Madison Jones (Abingdon, IL/Abiingdon-Avon), with 12 points. Erin Golden (Batavia, IL/Batavia) went 5-for7 from the floor and recorded a season-high 10 points.

Missouri-St. Louis has three players in double-figures, including two double-doubles. Alex LaPorta led the way for the Tritons with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Right behind her was Kiara Stewart with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Azaria Hulbert was 4-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-3 in free throws, for a total 11 points.

McKendree's next scheduled contest will be a road contest to Springfield, MO. The Bearcats will tip-off against the Panthers of Drury University on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 at 5:30 PM.