(LEBANON, Ill. – Jan. 9) – The McKendree University women's basketball team faced the Flyers of Lewis University for the second time this season, Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats dropped the contest 65-77.
McKendree had a very slow start to Saturday's contest. The Bearcats were taking shots, but they were not falling in favor for the home team. Though the Bearcats doubled their shooting percentage in the second quarter, they sound themselves down 20-38 at halftime. The momentum changed for the better for McKendree coming out of halftime. They went on a 9-0 run to start the third quarter, forcing Lewis to take an early timeout. That quarter, they doubled their shooting percentage to 64.3 percent, 50,0 percent from three-point range, and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. The Bearcats came within four with 4:07 left in the game, but could not come back from the deficit.
Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, IL/Pekin Community) led the way for both teams, recording 18 points on the afternoon.
Christy Fortune (Appleton, WI/Appleton West) went 50,0 percent from the floor and added two three-pointers. Both
Kaelyn Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) and
Jenna Krause (Seymour, WI/Seymour) tallied 10 points for the Bearcats. Froebe went 3-for-5 from the floor and leading with five rebounds. While Krause added one three-pointer and went 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
Lewis came out looking to get revenge over their last meeting with McKendree on Dec. 18. The Flyers set the momentum for the rest of the game. They set up heavy pressure from the defensive side, while moving the ball around the perimeter and through the pain to capitalize on every possession.
Lewis had four players finish in double-figures. They were led by Lindsey Harrison who scored 15 points and went 5-for-7 from the paint. Kathryn Schmidt tallied 13 points, with 6-fot-7 from the free throw line and 50.0 percent from the floor. Both Tayler Gugliuzza (50.0 percent) and Kaitlyn Williams (3-for-5) scored 10 points for the Flyers.
Kari Kerkoff and her team will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., for their next scheduled contest. McKendree will face the University of Indianapolis, at 5:30 PM (CT) in Nicoson Hall.
