LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball (10-15, 7-11 GLVC) finished its home slate on Saturday afternoon, dropping to the second-ranked Drury Panthers (25-1, 18-0 GLVC), 81-54, at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. McKendree sits 10th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference PRS standings at 2.69 and will be looking for a pair of crucial wins to break into the top-eight to clinch a GLVC Tournament spot. The Bearcats head to Maryville on February 23 and UMSL on February 25 to end the regular season.
McKendree was led by a pair of double-digit scorers in junior forward
Naomi McDaniel and junior guard
Madyson Harper as McDaniel scored 14 and Harper collected 12. McDaniel shot 7-13 from the field with seven rebounds with a pair of blocks while it was her 20th game in double-figure scoring. Harper hit two three-pointers while going 6-8 from the charity stripe with four assists and three rebounds.
The Bearcats faced the top team in the league, trying to steal a win to help their postseason tournament case but struggled to hold-off the highly-ranked Panthers. Drury totaled five double-digit scorers, stifling the Bearcats with a strong fourth quarter.
In the first half, McKendree kept it close for the majority of the first quarter with the Panthers holding a lead at six or less until the final minute. The Panthers went up nine to end the quarter behind a pair of free throws as there was no scoring in the final minute and a half. In the second quarter, Drury went up 18 points at the peak of the first half but the Bearcats cut it down to 11 following a three by junior guard
Maclayne Taylor. The Panthers grabbed a three-point bucket to end the half to hold a 14-point advantage at the intermission.
The Bearcats and Panthers went null in the third quarter with 12 points in both directions, keeping the deficit at 14 for the Bearcats. Drury shot over 55-percent from the field in the fourth quarter to out-score McKendree, 28-15.
The Bearcats scored 28 points in the paint with 11 points on turnovers. Eight player scored for McKendree on the day, shooting 19-51 overall.
LEADERS
Naomi McDaniel | 14 points / 7-13 FGs / 7 rebounds / 2 blocks
Madyson Harper | 12 points / 6-8 FTs / 4 assists / 3 rebounds
UP NEXT
McKendree women's basketball will be on the road to finish the regular season, taking on Maryville on February 23 in Chesterfield and UMSL on February 25.
