ROLLA, Mo. – Sophomore guard Erin Golden (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) scored a career high 19 points and added eight rebounds, but it was not enough as the McKendree University women's basketball team suffered a 94-59 setback here Thursday evening to Missouri S&T in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Gibson Arena on the Missouri S&T campus.
 
With the setback, McKendree suffered its fourth consecutive loss and dropped its record to 3-17 overall and 2-11 in the GLVC, while Missouri S&T moves to 8-12 overall and 5-9 in the league. Thursday's game was the first of two consecutive games this weekend in Missouri for the Bearcats.
 
Alex Kerr and Laura Rodriguez each scored 18 points for the Miners and Kerr added 17 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double for the Miners, who snapped a three game losing skid with Thursday's victory. Michaela Davis added 14 points and Marla Durk chipped in with 12 points in the win.
 
The Miners made use of an 11-1 edge in made 3-pointers, held a 56-36 edge on the boards, including collecting 19 offensive rebounds that led to 24-11 advantage in second chance points and scored at least 20 points in all four quarters, including 28 in the second quarter. McKendree collected nine offensive boards in the game, including four from Golden.
 
In addition to Golden's career high 19 points, second year freshman guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville) fell one point shy of double digits as she tallied nine points and blocked two shots. The nine points stopped Breden's double figure scoring streak at four games. Four Bearcats – senior guard Haley Zylka (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek), junior guard Kaelyn Froebe (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln), senior guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, Wis./Seymour) and redshirt senior guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, Ill./Pekin Community) – each scored six points in the game. For Diekhoff, the six points pushed her 1,200 career points as she has now tallied 1,203 career points as a Bearcat.
 
S&T jumped out to 5-2 lead nearly two minutes into the game, before the Bearcats responded with an 18-5 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a 20-10 lead with 3:52 left in the opening quarter. The Bearcats run began with a lay-up by Zylka and was capped by a lay-up from Golden, who scored five points during the run.
 
The 10 point lead would be the largest of the game for the Bearcats and its second largest lead in a game in GLVC play this season as McKendree had a 20 point lead in its 58-48 win at William Jewell.
 
S&T, though, would mount a rally as they closed the quarter on a 12-1 run to take a 22-21 lead after the opening 10 minutes of the game. During the run, Kerr scored four points for S&T, while Davis scored eight, including give the Miners a lead on her trey with 10 seconds left in the quarter.
 
The second quarter belonged to the Miners as they outscored the Bearcats, 28-8, in the quarter to take a 50-29 lead at the half. In the quarter, McKendree made just one field goal as they were 1-for-13 from the field and 6-for-8 at the free throw line, while S&T was 9-for-21 from the field, including making two treys and was 8-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
McKendree made a run in the third quarter as they opened the period on a 10-3 run keyed by six points from Golden to push within 53-39 with 5:56 left in the quarter. That would be as close as the Bearcats would get as S&T responded with a 16-4 run to push its lead to 69-43 with 2:28 left in the period.
 
Golden would stop the Miners' run with a floating jump shot with 2:11 left in the quarter, but S&T would close the quarter by scoring four of the final five points to hold a 73-46 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
 
The Miners would hit four of their 11 treys in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Bearcats, 21-13 in the period to set the final margin. While S&T hit four treys in the quarter, the Bearcats lone trey of the game came from Breden in the quarter.
 
On the night, McKendree shot 33 percent from the field and was 1-for-13 from long distance, while S&T connected on 47 percent of its shots (33-for-71) and was 11-for-29 (38 percent) from the 3-point line.
 
S&T also held an 8-3 edge in blocked shots and dished out 20 assists on 33 made baskets. McKendree had 10 assists with Zylka and Breden each having three on the game.
 
The teams were whistled for 34 fouls and a combined 51 free throws were shot in the game as McKendree was 16-for-24 (66.7 percent) at the line, including Krause going 4-for-5 at the line. Prior to her miss at the end of third quarter, Krause had made 20 consecutive free throws. S&T finished the night 17-for-27 (63 percent) at the line.
 
McKendree will conclude its two-game road trip in Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 12 as they travel to Springfield, Mo., for a 1 p.m. contest against ninth-ranked Drury (23-3, 13-2 GLVC), who picked up an impressive 77-59 home win Thursday over 25th-ranked Southern Indiana.