KANSAS CITY, Mo. - McKendree University women's basketball fell to Rockhurst 85-73 in its second Great Lakes Valley Conference road game of the week on Saturday. The Bearcats move to 10-13 on the season and 7-9 in the GLVC as they return home next week to face Missouri S&T and Drury.

The Hawks started strong offensively, shooting 73 percent from the field and 100 percent from beyond the arc and the free throw line in the first quarter. After climbing to a 25-8 lead, the Bearcats battled back to come within nine by the end of the first period with a deep three pointer at the buzzer from junior guard Madyson Harper.

Both offenses slowed down in the second quarter as the Hawks put up 13 points and the Bearcats netted 12 to set the halftime score at 42-32.

Another evenly matched period of play in the third quarter with 18 points from the Hawks and 17 points from the Bearcats, McKendree trailed 60-49 heading into the last ten-minute stretch.

The fourth quarter saw a spark from McKendree as they closed the gap on Rockhurst with an 8-0 run at the 6:30 mark. At 67-66 with three minutes to go, the Hawks hit four free throws followed by a jumper to extend their lead back to seven with two minutes left. In an attempt to gain possession, the Bearcats were forced to foul and put Rockhurst at the charity stripe. The Hawks hit 81 percent of their fourth quarter free throws to seal the win over the Bearcats, 85-73.

The Bearcats were led in scoring by sophomore guard Clare Breden who tallied 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals on the day. Junior forward Naomi McDaniel netted 14 points and added four rebounds and three steals while junior guard Maclayne Taylor sank 12 point, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists. Freshman forward Alyssa Powell recorded a career-high 10 points and shot a team-high 83 percent from the field (5-of-6).

As a team, McKendree shot 43.9 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from the three-point line. The Bearcats struggled from the free throw line, netting only 45.5 percent of free throw tries. Defensively, McKendree grabbed 14 steals, the second-highest number of steals for the team this season, while Rockhurst only recorded five steals for the contest. The Bearcats also won the turnover battle, only committing 16 to the Hawks' 27.

With the win, the Hawks improve to 11-13 overall and 6-10 in the GLVC. Rockhurst was led by fifth-year senior forward Reagan Dodd with 15 points and 10 rebounds as well as junior guard Keegan Sullivan and freshman guard Ali Kamies with 15 points each.

Coming up, the Bearcats will be in action at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center on Thursday, Feb. 16 for their second-to-last home game against Missouri S&T at 5:30 p.m.