ROLLA, Mo. – McKendree University women's basketball suffered an 80-78 setback to Missouri S&T in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match-up on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats fall to 6-7 on the year and 3-3 in conference play as they prepare to host University of Missouri-St. Louis this coming Thursday.
 
Leading the Bearcats offensively was junior guard Erin Golden, tying her career high with 19 points, shooting 77 percent from the field, and shooting 71 percent from the free throw line.
 
In addition to Golden, sophomore guard Clare Breden and junior forward Naomi McDaniel each tallied 14 points while junior forward Christy Fortune added 10 points in the setback. Leading on the boards for the Bearcats was junior guard Maclayne Taylor, collecting seven rebounds in the contest.
 
The Miners hit a quick three to start the game, but McDaniel would respond with four points to give the Bearcats their first lead of the game. McKendree stayed just ahead, trading baskets with Missouri S&T, until senior guard Kristen Keys hit her first three to give the Miners a 16-14 advantage. McKendree responded with an 8-2 run with a minute left in the quarter, though S&T's graduate student center Alex Kerr would end the quarter with a layup and two free throws to close the Bearcats' lead to 22-20 to end the first ten minutes of play.
 
McDaniel tallied 10 points in the first quarter, but with two fouls, was limited to just two minutes in the second quarter.
 
The second quarter saw a slow first two minutes, remaining scoreless before a drop-step layup by freshman forward Alyssa Powell kicked off the scoring for the quarter. McKendree and Missouri S&T would trade baskets again, though Fortune's back-to-back threes gave the Bearcats a six-point advantage once again. Consistent shooting from both teams ended the quarter with a four-point difference and a Bearcat lead, 39-35.
 
McKendree jumped out of the halftime break with a put-back layup by Taylor while Missouri S&T's graduate student guard Laura Rodriguez drained one from downtown followed by a runner from freshman guard Anna Finley to close the gap to one point, 41-40. Each team saw short scoring runs and bursts of momentum, eventually locking up at 52-52 with two minutes left in the third. A Missouri S&T 10-2 run put the Miners ahead 62-54 to end the quarter.
 
The Bearcats began to chip away at the Miners' lead, returning to a full-court press defense trailing by eight. With five minutes left in the game, McDaniel committed her fifth personal foul, putting McKendree's leading scorer on the sideline for the remainder of the contest. Down 61-69, the Bearcats battled back with four minutes left to come within two points at two minutes left in the game. Two free throws from Breden set the score at 75-72 with 48 seconds left as McKendree was forced to foul to gain possession.  
 
Despite 10 fourth-quarter points each from Breden and Golden, the Miners slipped away with an 80-78 victory over the Bearcats.
 
As a team, McKendree outshot Missouri S&T, recording 49 percent from the field to the Miners' 46 percent. Missouri S&T, however, would win the battle beyond the arc, hitting 7-of-16 threes while McKendree hit just 2-of-12. The Bearcats also tallied a season-low seven turnovers while the Miners committed 12.
 
The Miners were led by Keys with 21 points and Kerr who tallied a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
McKendree resumes GLVC play next week as they host UMSL on Thursday evening at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center tipping off at 5:30 p.m.