SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball improved to 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference as they posted a 70-63 win over the University of Illinois-Springfield on the road Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats have snagged back-to-back GLVC wins with victories over Quincy and UIS this week.

The Prairie Stars came out hot from the three-point line, hitting five threes and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first quarter. The Bearcats sank 50 percent of their own shots  including a 7-0 run in the last three minutes to tie it at 17-all by the end of the first.

Both teams turned up the heat in quarter two as the Bearcats were 4-for-4 from downtown, three of them courtesy of junior guard Madyson Harper. 20 minutes into the contest, McKendree held the advantage over UIS, 44-40.

The third quarter proved a challenge for the Bearcats as they were held to just seven points and the Prairie Stars gained their first lead of the game. McKendree netted two of ten shots from the field and three free throws in the third period of play while the Prairie Stars knocked down six of 16 shots from the field to hold a 54-51 lead at the end of three quarters.

McKendree came out with a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter with a steal and layup from junior guard Erin Golden, a free throw from junior guard Maclayne Taylor, and a rebound put-back from junior forward Naomi McDaniel. The tables were turned in the fourth quarter as the Prairie Stars were held to single digit scoring and the Bearcats put up a 19-point fourth quarter to claim the victory, 70-63. McKendree held UIS to zero three pointers made in the second half.

"It was great to see our ladies adjust defensively and not let them hit any threes in the second half," said McKendree head coach Kari Kerkhoff. "I thought we did an excellent job of moving he ball around and attacking on drives. We continued to compete hard when UIS took the lead and we handled the pressure well in the final stretch."

The Bearcats recorded their second consecutive game shooting 50 percent or better from the field as they shot 51.1 percent against Quincy earlier in the week. McKendree was 25-for-50 from the field while UIS recorded just 38.2 percent of successful tries from the field.

McDaniel led the Bearcats with 18 points while Golden added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

In addition to McDaniel and Golden's combined 33 points, Harper netted nine points and sophomore guard Clare Breden, Taylor, and junior guard Christy Fortune sank seven points each.

UIS was led by guard Brianna Zajicek with 18 points and seven rebounds. With the loss, the Prairie Stars fall to 2-19 overall and 2-11 in the GLVC.

Up next, the Bearcats will be on their home court on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. to face William Jewell.