LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball begins the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament on Thursday evening with an 8:15 p.m. game against No. 2-seeded Lewis University at Hyland Arena on the campus of Lindenwood University. With two road wins against the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Maryville, McKendree clinched the No. 7 seed for the tournament. The top eight teams in the league received bids to the postseason contest.
Last season, all 15 GLVC teams participated in the postseason tournament. The Bearcats were seeded 14th and were defeated by No. 3-seeded UMSL. Lewis was seeded No. 5 for the bracket and upset No. 1-seeded Southern Indiana for a spot in the championship game against Drury. Drury would ultimately top Lewis for the title.
McKendree heads into Thursday's game with a 12-15 overall record and a 9-11 record in league play while Lewis sports a 19-9 overall record and a 15-5 mark in the GLVC.
For McKendree, junior forward Naomi McDaniel and sophomore guard Clare Breden have led the offensive efforts with 13.8 points and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Adding an average of eight points each are junior guard Maclayne Taylor and Erin Golden. As a team, the Bearcats average 65.1 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field, 28 percent from beyond the arc, and 71 percent at the free throw line.
Four Flyers average double figures including junior forward Kathryn Schmidt (15.7 ppg), senior guard Grace Hilber (14.5 ppg), junior guard Taylor Gugliuzza (12.7 ppg), and redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Badali (10.5 ppg). Collectively, Lewis averages 72.1 points per game, shooting 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from the three-point line, and 74 percent from the charity stripe.
The Bearcats and the Flyers met only once in the 2022-23 season as Lewis topped McKendree with a score of 79-62.
The GLVC tournament will begin on Thursday evening and conclude with the championship game on Sunday, March 5.
GLVC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 2
No. 1 Drury vs. No. 8 Quincy – 6 p.m.
No. 2 Lewis vs. No. 7 McKendree – 8:15 p.m.
Friday, March 3
No. 4 Indianapolis vs. No. 5 Missouri S&T – 6 p.m.
No. 3 Truman State vs. No. 6 Maryville – 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, March 4
Semifinals – 6 p.m.
Semifinals – 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, March 5
Championship – 3:30 p.m.
