LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball plays two GLVC games on the road this week, facing Southwest Baptist on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo. and Rockhurst on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Kansas City, Mo.
The Bearcats are 10-11 overall with a 7-7 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference following a 1-1 performance last week with a 75-54 win over William Jewell and a 82-54 loss to Truman State at home.
ABOUT MCKENDREE
As a team, McKendree is shooting a GLVC third-highest 43.8 percent from the field, 29 percent from the three-point line, and 72 percent from the free throw line. Against William Jewell, McKendree shot a season-high 56.9 percent from the field.
Leading McKendree offensively is junior forward Naomi McDaniel averaging 13.3 points per game and grabbing a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. McDaniel is second in the GLVC for field-goal percentage, shooting 57 percent. Junior guard Erin Golden sits just behind McDaniel at 55.8 percent field-goal shooting.
Sophomore guard Clare Breden is second in scoring with a 9.7-point average and leading McKendree with 2.2 assists per game.
From beyond the arc, junior guard Christy Fortune has netted a team-high 31.4 percent of three-point tries while Golden leads McKendree from the charity stripe at 83 percent.
Defensively, McKendree holds opponents to the fourth-lowest number of points at 65.8 points per game, second in three-point defense (29.7 percent), and is fourth in steals (7.48 per game) and blocked shots (2.76 per game). McDaniel is second the conference in blocks, snagging an average of 1.38 per game.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
Southwest Baptist sports a 11-11 overall record and a 5-9 mark in the GLVC following a 52-48 loss to Missouri S&T on Saturday. In the last meeting between the two Bearcat teams, McKendree came away with a 63-56 victory.
Southwest Baptist is one of the top defensive teams in the conference as they are second in lowest average points allowed (62.2) and third in field goal defense (39.8 percent), three-point defense (30.2 percent), and blocked shots (2.77 per game).
Offensively, SBU shoots 40.1 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from three, and 67.0 percent from the free throw line.
SBU is led by sophomore guard Kelsey Blakemore with 10.6 points per game. Blakemore also ranks sixth in the GLVC in steals (1.64 per game). Leading the league in field goal percentage and blocked shots from SBU is sophomore forward Tori Hamilton, boasting a 62.4 shooting percentage from the field and snagging 1.5 blocks per game.
In the all-time series between SBU and McKendree, Southwest Baptist leads 4-3.
ABOUT ROCKHURST
Rockhurst holds a 9-13 overall record and a 4-10 record in the GLVC after falling 65-50 to UMSL on Saturday. In the previous meeting between Rockhurst and McKendree on Dec. 3, McKendree defeated the Hawks 72-62.
In conference standings, Rockhurst ranks just above Southwest Baptist in field goal defense, holding opponents to shooting 39.5 percent from the field. The Hawks are also second in rebounding (38.5 per game), blocked shots (2.86 per game), and steals (7.82 per game).
Two Hawks lead the team in double-digit scoring as junior guard Keegan Sullivan nets 15.8 points per game (7th in GLVC) and senior forward Molly Hummel averages 10.4 points. Hummel also ranks seventh in rebounding, grabbing 7.1 per game, and third in steals with 1.84 per game.
In the all-time series between Rockhurst and McKendree, the Hawks lead 7-4.
UP NEXT
Following this week's road games, McKendree will be back at home on Thursday and Saturday to face Missouri S&T and Drury.
