(SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Jan. 21) – The McKendree University women's basketball team had their first of two games this week, taking on the Prairie Stars of University of Illinois-Springfield. The Bearcats fell to the Prairie Stars 58-68, Thursday evening.

It was McKendree that made the first bucket of the night, working their way through good defense set up by Springfield. A goof look from the top of the key by Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) would tie the game at 16 with under a minute left in the first quarter, to get her team back in the groove. The pace of the game accelerated halfway through the second quarter. The Bearcats would find themselves down by seven with one minute left in the second quarter. Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) would hit a three-pointer from the right side and cut the deficit to four going into halftime. An over-the-top scoop shot after stealing the ball away under the net, Krause would tie the game at 39 with 6:48 left in the third quarter. In the final frame of the contest, the Bearcats found themselves at a 13-point deficit with three and a half minutes left. McKendree finished the game with a 37.9 shooting percentage and 83.3 percent in free throw attempts.

McKendree had three players finish in double-figures. The Bearcats were led by Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) who recorded 13 points. She was 33.3 percent from the floor and 2-for4 in free throws. Clare Breden (Jerseyville, IL/Jerseyville Community) added 11 points, shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, and 1-for-1 in three-point attempts and 2-for-2 in free throws. Erin Stroberg (Rockford, IL/Rockford East) tallied 10 points, going 4-for-7 from the floor.

Springfield struggled with possession and follow through in the first two minutes of the contest, committing two turnovers. The Prairie Stars would shake off their slow start and bank on their offense from all areas of the court. they would add a last-minute three-pointer to end the first quarter and take a 21-16 lead. The Prairie Stars would extend their lead to as much as 10 in the duration of the third quarter and take a 53-43 lead into the 10 minutes. They would build up to a 13-point lead with three and a half minutes left in the contest.

Springfield had two players finish in double-figures, led by Grace Weber. She scored 16 points, going 50.0 percent from both three-point range and free throw attempts. She was followed by Lauren Ladowski who scored 10 points and eight rebounds.

Kari Kerkhoff and her team will stay road for their next scheduled event. McKendree will head to Quincy on Saturday, Jan. 23 and are scheduled to tip off at 1:00 PM in the Pepsi Arena.