LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University women's basketball returns to action in the 2022-23 season with two conference contests on the road this week. On Thursday, the Bearcats will play at Drury University in Springfield, Mo. at 5:30 p.m. before facing Missouri S&T on Saturday in Rolla, Mo. at 1 p.m. Thursday's game marks the Bearcats' first conference game since Dec. 3 when McKendree defeated Southwest Baptist 63-56.
 
McKendree sports a 6-5 overall record following a 70-59 non-conference win against Culver-Stockton in addition to a 3-1 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The 3-1 conference record is the best start to conference play in program history since joining the GLVC in 2012.
 
Drury currently sits at 11-1 on the season, its only loss to No. 3 Ashland University in a close overtime contest (68-67), but holds the No. 1 spot in the GLVC with a 4-0 conference record. The Panthers concluded their pre-Christmas schedule with seven straight wins, including a 97-74 win at Florida Southern on Dec. 17 before the holiday break.
 
Missouri S&T comes into Saturday's game with a 7-5 overall record and a 3-1 record in GLVC play after ending their 2022 schedule with four straight wins. The Miners took conference wins against Southwest Baptist, UMSL, and Illinois-Springfield, and fell to Drury in their lone GLVC loss. 
 
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
As a team, McKendree is averaging 63.5 points per game while holding its opponents to just 60.7 points per game. Through the first half of the season, the Bearcats are shooting 43 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line, both of which are the third-best in the GLVC. From the three-point line, McKendree averages 4.5 threes per game.
 
Leading the Bearcats offensively is junior forward Naomi McDaniel, shooting a team-high 53 percent from the field and averaging 13.4 points while also collecting 7.8 rebounds per game. McDaniel has tallied seven double-digit scoring games for the season, including a season-high 24 points at William Jewell in late November.
 
Along with McDaniel, averaging in double figures for McKendree is sophomore guard Clare Breden, recording 10.5 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the field, and leading the team at 37 percent from the three-point line. Breden also dishes a team-high 2.4 assists per game.
 
The three remaining starters for McKendree average six points or more as junior forward Christy Fortune tallies 7.6 points, junior guard Maclayne Taylor scores 7.2 points, and freshman guard Georgia Duncan records 6.5 points per game.
 
Defensively, the Bearcats have held opponents to hitting only 27 percent of three-point tries, ranking No. 1 in the conference as their foes have hit only 57 of 209 shots from beyond the arc. McKendree also averages 8.18 steals, ranking third in the GLVC, as Breden leads the team with 1.64 steals per game. At 1.27 blocks per game, McDaniel holds the third place slot in the conference standings while also ranking second in defensive rebounds (6.0 per game).
 
McKendree will seek their first win against Drury in program history while also looking to snag the advantage against Missouri S&T as the Bearcats and Miners are tied at 6-6 all-time.
 
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Drury finished the 2021-22 season with a 32-5 overall record and their sixth consecutive GLVC tournament title. The Panthers defeated UMSL in the quarterfinals of the NCAA-II Midwest Regional before falling to Grand Valley State in the semifinals last season. 
 
As a team, the Panthers average 80.8 points per game while allowing opponents an average of 59.9 points, both of which lead the GLVC standings. Additionally, Drury tops the charts in field goal percentage at 46.7 percent and three-point percentage at 40.8 percent.
 
Leading the Panthers offensively and ranking third in the GLVC for scoring average is graduate student guard Kaylee DaMitz-Holt recording 18.3 points per game. DaMitz-Holt has shot 47 percent from the field, 41 percent from beyond the arc, and 76 percent from the foul stripe through Drury's 12 games. In all but two games, DaMitz-Holt has recorded double-digit performances, including a season-high 34 points against Eckerd on Dec. 16.
 
Senior forward Alana Findley and graduate student guard Terrion Moore also average in double figures as Findley sits at 14.0 points and Moore sinks 11.4 points per game. Findley tops the boards for the Panthers at 5.7 per game while Moore dishes out a conference-leading 4.17 assists in addition to a second-highest 2.75 steals per game.
 
Defensively, the Panthers snag a conference-high 12.92 steals per game while also having the largest turnover margin as Drury averages only 12.9 turnovers to its opponents' 23.5 turnovers per game.
 
ABOUT THE MINERS
Missouri S&T posted an 11-16 overall record in the 2021-22 season, falling in the first round of the GLVC tournament to Illinois-Springfield. In the last meeting between the Miners and the Bearcats, Missouri S&T defeated McKendree 94-59 in early February.
 
As a team, the Miners average 66.5 points while allowing opponents an average of 61.8 points per game. Additionally, S&T tops the GLVC in rebounds per game at 41.4 and blocked shots with 3.08 per game.
 
Offensively, the Miners are led by graduate student center Alex Kerr who tallies a 13.7-point and 9.7-rebound average to lead the team and rank second in the GLVC while also taking the top spot in blocked shots at 1.42 per game. Shooting 48 percent from the field, Kerr has recorded seven double-doubles on the season including a season-high 28-point, 12-rebound game against Illinois-Springfield on Dec. 10.
 
Graduate student guard Laura Rodriguez also averages double digits at 13.2 points per game, shooting 41 percent from the field and 28 percent from the three-point line. At just under 10 points per game, senior guard Kristen Keys nets 9.6 points per game for the Miners.
 
Defensively, the Miners lead the GLVC in field goal percent defense as they have allowed just 37 percent shooting from the field this season. S&T also grabs an average of 7.4 steals and forces 16.1 turnovers per game. 
 
UP NEXT
Following this week's contest, the Bearcats will be back at Harry M. Statham Sports Center on Jan. 12 as they host University of Missouri-St. Louis in a 5:30 p.m. conference game.