LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University women's basketball will conclude its two-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 13 as the Bearcats play host to the University of Indianapolis in a 5:30 p.m. Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at the Melvin Price Convocation Center on the McKendree campus.
 
Thursday's game will the second game of the 2022 calendar year for the Bearcats and its second scheduled game this season with UIndy after having its first meeting with the Greyhounds on Jan. 4 canceled due to health and safety protocols.
 
The Bearcats, who are playing just its second game in the last 29 days, comes into Thursday's meeting with UIndy sporting a 1-10 overall record and an 0-4 record in the GLVC following its 79-55 setback this past Saturday at home to Truman State. The Bearcats have lost five straight games since collecting a 90-71 home win on Nov. 23 over Blackburn College.
 
ABOUT McKENDREE
The Bearcats, who are playing its fifth GLVC game of the season, are led offensively by sophomore guard Christy Fortune (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West), who is averaging 12.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent from the free throw line. She has scored in double figures in five of 10 games and has pulled down seven or more rebounds in seven games, including a career high 10 boards against both Blackburn and UIS. Fortune currently 12th in the league in rebounding, ninth in 3-point field goal percentage and tied for fifth in three-point field goals made per game (2.3).
 
In addition to Fortune, two other Bearcats are averaging between 9.0 and 9.5 points per game on the season as second-year freshman guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville Community) is averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and is shooting 39 percent from the field and has reached double figures in six games, including scoring 11 points in her last outing against Truman State and sophomore guard Erin Golden (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) is averaging 9.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and is shooting 39 percent from the field and 81 percent at the free throw line. Golden has made a team-high 21 free throws and has scored in double figures in four games, including scoring 14 points in her last game against Truman State.
 
Three players (Fortune, Breden and Golden) have scored 99 or more points on the season as Fortune has tallied 120 points, while Breden has scored 104 points and Golden has scored 99 points.
 
As a team, McKendree is averaging 50.0 points per game and are allowing 73.3 points per game and is shooting 36 percent from the field, 29 percent from the 3-point line and 68 percent from the free throw line. The Bearcats, who scored a season high 90 points in only win of the season against Blackburn, scored 55 points in its last game against Truman State and those 55 points are the most scored by the Bearcats in a GLVC game this season.
 
Additionally, the Bearcats are getting outrebounded by nearly 11 boards per game but are averaging 6.6 steals per game and are is forcing nearly 14 turnovers per game.
 
Defensively, the Bearcats opponents are shooting 44 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line and 71 percent from the free throw line and their foes have scored 70 or more points in eight games, including allowing a season high 92 points to Missouri Southern.
 
McKendree is coached by Kari Kerkhoff and she is 68-103 in her seventh season as the Bearcats head coach. Her 68 wins are third most in school history, while her seven years are tied with Ann DeBoe (1990-97) for second longest tenure in program history.

ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS
Indianapolis comes into Thursday's game with McKendree having won two straight games, but the Greyhounds haven't played a game since closing the 2021 calendar year with a 78-66 win at home over Ferris State. UIndy has had its first three games of the 2022 calendar year canceled due to health and safety protocols in the UIndy program. UIndy's lone win in league play came at Lewis (79-67) on Dec. 2, while their two losses have come at Southern Indiana (79-62) and at home to Illinois-Springfield (63-60).
 
Two Greyhounds are averaging in double figures on the year with junior guard/forward Sadie Hill leading the way as she is averaging 14.2 points per game. Along with averaging 14.2 points per game, Hill is also averaging 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and has blocked a team-best 10 shots. She is shooting 54 percent from the field, 44 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent from the free throw line. She has scored in double figures in nine games, including tallying three games of 20 or more points.
 
The second double-digit scorer for UIndy is senior guard Taylor Drury, who is averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 67 percent from the free throw line. Drury is second on the team in made treys with 19 and has tallied double figures in scoring in seven games and has tallied 20 or more points in two of her last three games.
 
As a team, UIndy is one of the top shooting teams in the league as they are second in the league in field goal percentage (45.9 percent) and third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (36.9 percent) and is averaging 7.5 made treys per game, which is second-best in the league. The Greyhounds are averaging 67.9 points per game and have scored over 70 points in five games, including a season high 85 points in win over Lake Erie.
 
Defensively, UIndy's opponents are scoring 66.5 points per game and are shooting 40 percent from the field, 29 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line and has a +3.5 rebound margin and is averaging 6.5 steals per game.
 
UIndy is coached by Kristin Wodrich, who has compiled a 70-79 overall record as the Greyhounds coach and has posted a 43-55 record in GLVC games.
 
Thursday's game will mark the 14th all-time meeting in the series with UIndy holding a 9-4 edge in the series. The Bearcats, though, won the most recent meeting in the series last season in Indianapolis as McKendree earned a 76-63 win.
 
UP NEXT
Following Thursday's game, McKendree will hit the road for two consecutive GLVC games as they open the road swing on Saturday, Jan. 15 with a 1 p.m. game in Romeoville, Ill., against Lewis University, before concluding the road trip with a 5:30 p.m. game on Monday, Jan. 17 in Evansville, Ind., against the University of Southern Indiana. McKendree suffered a 69-50 loss at home to Lewis on Dec. 4 and had its first game this season with USI that was scheduled for Jan. 2 canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.