QUINCY, Ill. - The women's basketball team is now 3-0 thanks to a dominant performance against NCAA-newcomer Roosevelt University at the Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic on Saturday, November 16th, at the Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois.
Score: McKendree University 79, Roosevelt University 52
Record: Bearcats 3-0, 0-0 GLVC | Lakers 1-3, 0-0 MIAA
HOW IT HAPPENED
You could not have asked for a better start for McKendree, who overrun the first quarter and allowed only six points from Roosevelt. Sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) picked up where they left off yesterday against Washburn University as the latter led the period with six points and the former got in a couple of mid-range buckets to tally four points as the Bearcats would lead substantially 27-6.
The Lakers would pick up the pace a bit in the second quarter of action as both teams tabbed 19 points each where McKendree would open it up on a 22-5 run headlined by a series of layups and paint jump shots from an array of players contributing. Roosevelt senior guard Luka Malinka gave her team a much-needed boost, scoring 14 of their 19 quarter points to find themselves still down, 46-25 going into halftime.
With all points within the first 4:47 coming from the charity stripe for both programs, freshman forward Taylor Fohey (Quincy, Ill.) for the Bearcats dropped the period's first field goal with a layup, then followed that with a made free throw to increase their team's lead to 26. McKendree would continue to roll with junior guard Chloe White (Brussels, Ill.) converting on a deep ball and would hold on to their large lead of 64-36 at the end of period number three.
The Lakers would try their best to make a final push with Malinka putting in another five points, but they could not compete any further to the Bearcat stampede as they were only able to muster up 11 points in the final quarter of play. McKendree would win their third straight game convincingly, 79-52, and end this year's Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic as the only team to go 2-0.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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McKendree ended the win with three players finishing with 14 points in Breden, Parks, and freshman forward Kyra Taylor (Davenport, Iowa). Breden continued to connect from the strip from her last outing, going 7-8 today. Parks was a dominant factor in all 21 minutes of action, going 7-8 from the floor while pulling down seven boards. Then, for Taylor, her 14 points is a career-high in her young tenure at the program.
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Sophomore guard Emma Slings (Polk City, Iowa) did not have too many looks throughout the course of the game as a starter, but she did put on a perfect shooting performance which included going 3-3 from the field and 5-5 from the free-throw line while dishing out a game-high six assists, making that a career-high for her.
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McKendree shot 41.2% from the field, 28.6% from distance, and 95.0% from the stripe while the Lakers ended with 23.3%, 12.9%, and 80.0% respectively.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
At the conclusion of the classic, Breden and Parks were named to the All-Tournament team, as the former averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, five rebounds, and two steals while shooting 33.3% from the field, 33.3% from three, and 82.1% from the line. The latter averaged 18 points, 2.5 assists, 8.5 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 65.4% from the field and 66.6% from three.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action a week from today when they return to the friendly confines to take on Blackburn College at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois with tip-off set for 1:00 PM CT.
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