EVANSVILLE, Ind. – McKendree University women's basketball hit the road for the first time in the 2022 calendar year on Monday evening as the Bearcats fell 90-59 to the University of Southern Indiana in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at Screaming Eagles Arena on the USI campus.
 
With the setback, McKendree falls to 2-11 overall and 1-5 in the GLVC, while USI improves to 11-2 overall and remains undefeated in league play with a 5-0 record.
 
Sophomore guard Christy Fortune (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West) continued her hot offensive play as led the Bearcats with a game high 18 points and added eight rebounds. The 18 points marked the seventh double-digit score game this season for Fortune and the eight rebounds marked the ninth time this season she has had seven or more boards in a game.
 
In addition to Fortune, second-year freshman guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville Community) added 13 points and has now scored in double figures in three consecutive games and eight times overall on the season.
 
Redshirt senior guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, Ill./Pekin Community) and sophomore guard Erin Golden (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) each added nine points in the loss. With her nine points, Diekhoff pushes her career scoring total of 1,094 points.
 
USI's third straight victory was keyed by a 50-30 edge on the boards, including 22 offensive boards that led to 36 second chance points and 11 three-pointers, including hitting seven treys in the second half as the Screaming Eagles shot 39 percent from the 3-point line in the contest. Additionally, USI outscored the Bearcats, 42-26 in the second and third quarters respectively.
 
The Screaming Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead to open the game, before the Bearcats used an 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Fortune to give McKendree an 8-5 lead with 7:11 left in the opening quarter.
 
After Emma DeHart hit two free throws to tie the game at 8, the Bearcats would score four of the next six points to push in front 12-10 following a lay-up by Golden with 5:47 left in the quarter.
 
Following Golden's lay-up, USI would answer with an 11-0 run capped by six straight points from Vanessa Shafford to give USI a 21-12 lead with 2:26 left.
 
Sophomore guard Ashley Schloer (O'Fallon, Ill./St. Cloud State) would stop USI's run by making 1-of-2 free throws with 1:58 remaining, but USI would close the quarter on an 8-4 run to hold a 29-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game.
 
USI opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run to push out to a 40-19 lead with 5:24 left in the period. Baskets by Fortune and Golden brought the Bearcats within 16 at 40-24 with 3:13 left, before USI would score seven of the final 10 points of the second quarter to take a 47-27 halftime lead.
 
After Breden scored the first basket of the third quarter on a lay-up, before USI used a 22-10 run to push its lead to 69-39 with 1:21 left in the quarter. The run was keyed by four consecutive treys, including two from Tori Handley.
 
Breden would score four straight points to drop USI's lead to 69-43 with 21 seconds left in the quarter, before Ashlynn Brown scored with a second left in the period to give the Screaming Eagles a 71-43 lead heading into the final period.
 
USI would eventually push its lead to as much as 37 points following a trey by Lexi Thompson with 5:42 left game as USI opened the fourth quarter on a 12-3 run. Thompson's trey gave the Screaming Eagles an 83-46 lead. The 37-point lead was the largest of the game for USI.
 
The Bearcats would score 10 straight points as Fortune scored the first seven points and Breden capped the run by scoring the final three points to cut USI's lead to 83-56 with 2:46 left in the game.
 
USI would close the game by scoring seven of the final 10 points to cap the scoring.
 
Ashley Hunter paced the Screaming Eagles with 12 points, while Meredith Raley and Soffia Rieckers each tallied 11 points and Tara Robbe added 10 points and seven rebounds. For the game, 14 USI players scored and seven of those players scored seven or more points.
 
The Bearcats finished the game shooting 38 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line and was 11-for-14 (79 percent) from the free throw line. USI finished the game shooting 43 percent from the field and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
McKendree committed 21 turnovers that led to 27 points for USI, while they dished out 11 assists with senior guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, Wis./Seymour) having a team-best four assists and added five points.
 
The Bearcats blocked three shots, while USI had four blocks.
 
McKendree will return to action this coming Thursday, Jan. 20 as they begin a two-game homestand with a 5:30 p.m. game against Quincy University at the Melvin Price Convocation Center in Lebanon, Ill., before hosting Illinois-Springfield on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.