LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University women's basketball topped the century mark for just the fourth time in school history here Tuesday afternoon as the Bearcats opened the home portion of its 2022-23 schedule with a 106-34 victory over Blackburn College on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.
 
The 106 points are third-most ever scored in a game and the most points scored by the Bearcats in the school's Division II era as the previous Division II high was 104 in a 104-95 win over Davis & Elkins on Dec. 21, 2013 at the Kentucky Wesleyan College Classic. The school record for points is 113 against Olivet Nazarene on Jan. 5, 2007.
 
Along with being the third highest scoring game in school history, the 72-point victory margin is also the largest in school's Division II era as it bettered the old mark of 63 points against Central Christian on Dec. 9, 2015. In addition, the 34 points allowed were the fewest by the Bearcats since allowing 36 points against Robert Morris-Peoria on Dec. 17, 2016.
 
With Tuesday's victory, McKendree extend its win streak to two straight games as they improve to 2-3 on the season, while Blackburn falls to 1-4 on the year. In addition, the win also snapped a six game homecourt losing skid that dated to last season's 63-58 home win on Jan. 13, 2022 against UIndy.
 
Four Bearcats finished in double figures in the win as junior forward Naomi McDaniel (Attitca, Ind./Parkland CC) tallied a game and career-high 20 points and added seven rebounds. Junior forward Kristyn Mitchell (Collinsville, Ill./Illinois Central) added a season-high 16 points and pulled down seven boards off the bench as McKendree's bench scored 52 points in the game.
 
The third double-digit scorer was junior guard Christy Fortune (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West) with 14 points and seven rebounds, and the fourth double-digit scorer was freshman guard Georgia Duncan (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) as she had a season-high 13 points.
 
Tuesday's game was pretty much over after the opening quarter as McKendree scored the first four points of the game and after Mariah Hopson made a lay-up with 5:45 left in the quarter to pull Blackburn within 9-4, the Bearcats would score 19 consecutive points to push its lead to 28-4 with 56 seconds left in the opening quarter. The run began with a lay-up by McDaniel and was capped by a lay-up from Mitchell, who scored 10 points during the run.
 
Hopson would score the final four points of the opening quarter for the Beavers as they cut McKendree's lead to 28-8. Hopson scored all eight of Blackburn's points in the quarter.
 
In the period, McKendree made 12 of their first 21 shots and held Blackburn to just a 2-for-14 (14 percent) effort from the field.
 
Blackburn opened the second quarter by scoring four of the first seven points to pull within 31-12, but the Bearcats would close the quarter by outscoring the Beavers, 27-9, to take a 58-21 lead at the half. McKendree scored 30 points in the second quarter. Duncan and freshman guard Chloe White (Brussels, Ill./Alton Marquette Catholic) each scored six points in the quarter for the Bearcats.
 
The 58 points at the half was just eight shy of McKendree's previous season high in points of 66 points set in Sunday's 66-57 win over Rogers State to conclude Quincy's Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic.
 
McKendree would outscore Blackburn, 31-7 in the third quarter to extend its lead to 89-28 heading into the final quarter. The lead ballooned to as much as 61 points in the quarter following a lay-up by Mitchell with six seconds left. McDaniel and Fortune combined for 15 points in the quarter as nine of the 10 Bearcats that played in the quarter scored at least a point.
 
The only question heading into the fourth quarter was when the Bearcats would reach the century mark and would they be able to break the school's single game scoring mark. McKendree would fall seven points shy of the single season scoring mark, but they reached the century mark on a 3-pointer by White with 2:17 left in the game. White's trey gave the Bearcats a 102-32 lead. White finished the game with a season high nine points as she was 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.
 
Freshman guard Addie Denny (Anna, Ill./Anna-Jonesboro) would give the Bearcats their single game scoring high at the Division II level on her lay-up with one minute left in the game.
 
For the game, all 12 Bearcats that played scored at least two points and along with four double-digit scorers, four other players scored between six and nine points in the win.
 
Hopson led Blackburn with 18 of her team's 34 points. Juliette Adlawan added eight points and Aryanna Harris tallied six in the loss.
 
For the game, McKendree recorded season highs in points (106), rebounds (55), assists (24), steals (15), field goals made (40), 3-pointers made (12). The Bearcats finished the game shooting a season-best 51 percent from the field and they shot a season-best 48 percent (12-for-25) from the 3-point line.
 
Blackburn was held to 22 percent shooting from the field and made just two of its 20 (10 percent) 3-pointers.
 
McKendree held a 55-25 edge on the boards as five players had at least five boards in the game as 11 of the 12 players that played collected at least two rebounds.
 
Junior guard Madyson Harper (Delavan, Ill./Parkland CC) dished out a season-high seven assists and had seven steals, which were two shy of the school's single game record nine set by Kelsey Park against Stephens College in 2009.
 
The Bearcats' defense forced 26 turnovers by Blackburn and that led to 32 points for McKendree. The Bearcats also held a 52-14 edge in points in the paint. McKendree finished with just 12 turnovers, including just five turnovers in the second half.
 
McKendree was once again strong at the free throw line in Tuesday's game as they went 14-for-15 (93.3 percent) from the line and are now shooting 80.8 percent from the free throw line on the season. Blackburn was 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) from the line.
 
The Bearcats will look to win its third straight game as they open Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 26 in Kirksville, Mo., against Truman State.