LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University women's basketball will play its road game in a little more than a month this coming Monday, Jan. 17 as they Bearcats travel to Evansville, Ind., for a 5:30 p.m. Great Lakes Valley Conference tilt against the University of the Southern Indiana at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
Monday's game will be just third game of the 2022 calendar year for the Bearcats and its first road game since falling 54-29 in Maryville, Mo., against Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 15 in its non-conference finale.
 
The Bearcats, who are playing its second game in four games, comes into Monday's action sporting a 2-10 overall record and a 1-4 mark in the GLVC following its 63-58 win on Thursday at home against the University of Indianapolis. The win over UIndy snapped a six-game losing skid for the Bearcats.
 
In its win over UIndy, second year freshman guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville Community) and sophomore guard Christy Fortune (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West) combined to score 47 points as Breden scored a career high 24 points, while Fortune added 23 points in earning its first GLVC win of the season. In addition to Breden and Fortune combining for 47 points, the Bearcats forced UIndy in 16 turnovers that led to 19 points, and they outscored the Greyhounds 37-29 in the second and third quarters respectively.
 
ABOUT McKENDREE
The Bearcats, who are playing its sixth GLVC game of the season and first against USI after this year's first meeting on Jan. 2 canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, are led offensively by Fortune, who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line. She has scored in double figures in six of 11 games and has pulled down seven or more rebounds in eight games, including a career high 10 boards against both Blackburn and UIS. Fortune is currently 12th in the league in rebounding, third in 3-point field goal percentage and tied for third in three-point field goals made per game (2.5).
 
In addition to Fortune, the other Bearcat averaging in double figures is Breden, who is averaging 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 63 percent from the free throw line. Breden has reached double figures in scoring in a team best seven games, including scoring a career high 24 points last time out against UIndy.
 
A third Bearcat is averaging over 8.5 points per game as sophomore guard Erin Golden (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) is third in scoring as she is averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and is shooting 39 percent from the field and leads the team in made free throws with 21 and is shooting 81 percent from the line.
 
Three players (Fortune, Breden and Golden) have scored over 100 points on the season as Fortune has tallied 143 points, while Breden has scored 128 points and Golden has scored 107 points.
 
As a team, McKendree is averaging 51.1 points per game is are allowing 72.0 points per game and is shooting 37 percent from the field, 29 percent from the 3-point line and 67 percent at the free throw line. The Bearcats scored 63 points in its last game against UIndy and those 63 points are the most scored by the Bearcats in a GLVC game this season, which bettered the old season high of 55 points at home against Truman State. Additionally, the Bearcats are getting outrebounded by 9.8 boards per game and are averaging 6.6 steals per game, which is 10th in the league.
 
Defensively, the Bearcats opponents are shooting 44 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent from the free throw line and their foes have scored 70 or more points in eight games.
 
McKendree is coached by Kari Kerkhoff and she is 69-103 in her seventh season as the Bearcats head coach. Her 69 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 SOUTHERN INDIANA
Southern Indiana, who has played just two games since the beginning of the New Year, enters Monday home game with McKendree as one of the three remaining teams in GLVC play as they are sporting 10-2 overall record and 4-0 record in GLVC play. The Screaming Eagles have won two straight games to open the New Year, including picking up an 89-78 win on Saturday at UIndy. USI's other win in the New Year came at home against Southwest Baptist (79-74) on Jan. 8. In fact, USI has won nine of its last 10 games with the lone loss being a 79-71 loss in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 19 against the University of Tampa.
 
Four USI players are averaging in double figures on the year with junior forward Hannah Haithcock averaging a team-best 12.8 points per game and is also averaging 5.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 79 percent at the free throw line. She has scored in double figures in nine games, including tallying 15 points in Saturday's win at UIndy.
 
In addition to Haithcock, fifth-year senior guard Emma DeHart is averaging 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while sophomore forward Meredith Raley is averaging 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and has tallied double figures in eight games and junior guard Addy Blackwell is averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and is shooting 54 percent from the 3-point line.
 
As a team, USI is one of the top scoring teams in the league as they are second in the GLVC in scoring as they are averaging 81.2 points per game and have scored over 70 points in nine games, including seven consecutive games of scoring 70 or more points. In addition to scoring 81.2 points per game, USI is shooting 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and leads the GLVC in free throw shooting at 77.2 percent. The Screaming Eagles are making 16.9 free throws per game and has a +4.9-rebound margin.
 
Defensively, USI's opponents are scoring 68.8 points per game and are shooting 42 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent from the free throw line. The Screaming Eagles are forcing 21.9 turnovers per game and are second in the league in turnover margin at +6.6 and are averaging 11.4 steals per game and have had six players record at least 10 steals on the year.
 
Southern Indiana is coached by Rick Stein, who is in his 23rd season at his alma mater and has compiled a 398-233 career record and a 241-173 mark in the GLVC. Stein, who is the all-time winningest coach in USI history, has led the Eagles to two GLVC Tournament titles (2001, 2002) and has won three GLVC Coach of the Year honors (2001, 2017, 2018).

Monday's game will mark the 15th all-time meeting in the series between the two schools with USI holding a commanding 13-1 lead in the series. The Eagles have won 12 straight games in the series, including posting a 73-48 win in Evansville, Ind., in the team's most recent meeting on Dec. 12, 2020. McKendree is 0-7 against USI in Lebanon, and trails 6-1 in Evansville. McKendree's lone win in the series came in Evansville on Feb. 23, 2013, as the Bearcat defeated USI, 58-45.
 
UP NEXT
Following Monday's game, the Bearcats will return home to the Melvin Price Convocation Center for two games this coming weekend as they begin the stretch with a 5:30 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 20 against Quincy (Ill.) and then conclude the weekend with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 22 against lllinois-Sprlngfield. McKendree opened GLVC play with an 81-52 loss at UIS on Nov. 29 in Springfield, Ill.