LEBANON, Ill. - The women's basketball team made some outstanding program-record marks in a big win over Blackburn College on Saturday, November 23rd, at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois. 

Score: McKendree University 110, Blackburn College 16 

Record: Bearcats 4-0, 0-0 GLVC | Beavers 1-4, 0-0 SLIAC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Mckendree did not waste any time getting on the board, starting an 11-0 run as senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) knocked down a three-point shot from the corner and then later picked off a pass to earn a fast break layup. Blackburn finally got their first basket from junior Caidy Tuetken at the 6:37 mark with an easy inside layup. The Bearcats followed with an absolute barrage of shots from beyond the arc, sinking in seven three-pointers in eight made baskets that gave them a sizeable 23-0 run. Within that span, senior guard Maci Meyer (Hubertus, Wis.) made three straight threes for McKendree as freshman guard Tessa Crawford (Jerseyville, Ill.) sunk in two straight threes right after. Beaver sophomore guard Gracie Jent stopped the bleeding for a bit to give her squad their second made basket, but the Bearcats would get inside for three more layups to lead substantially 40-4 at the end of the first quarter. 

After a successful free throw by Blackburn junior forward Zoe Mitchell to open up the second quarter, McKendree converted on four straight close-range shots to build their lead up to 43. The Beavers scored their seventh point of the game with a layup from sophomore guard Kenadee Frey. From that point on, McKendree would go full speed again with a huge 32-0 run that bled halfway into the third quarter. The run was initiated by five straight layups for the Bearcats and was capped off with five points from senior guard Imani McNamee (O'Fallon, Ill.) and a couple of inside shots from junior forward Alyssa Powell (Troy, Ill.). 

The pace started to slow a tad for McKendree in the final five minutes of the third period of play, closing on a 10-4 run with junior guard Addie Denny (Anna, Ill.) sinking in a couple of free throws and a layup to give her squad a 90-11 lead at the end of the third quarter. 

With the game out of reach for the opposition, Head Coach Kari Kerkhoff gave her bench unit some quality playing time in the final quarter of regulation. Powell dropped in another six points for her team, as freshman guard Olivia Corson (Normal, Ill.) fired on all cylinders, snagging seven points in the final period of play. The Bearcats would eventually win handily, 110-16 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• McKendree's highest scorer was Crawford, who came off the bench and dropped 19 points on 8-14 shooting and 2-6 from three-point range along with a game-high five steals. That 19 points makes it a career-high in her young career. 

• Corson and sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) each contributed 12 points as Parks went 5-6 from the floor. Powell was the other double-digit scorer for the Bearcats, coming away with 10 points on 5-7 shooting. 

• Five players for McKendree finished with 3+ assists in Crawford and senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) with five, Corson with four, and Parks and freshman forward Taylor Fohey (Quincy, Ill.) with three. 

• Three Bearcats had 7+ rebounds in Parks (8), Denny (8), and Powell (7). 

• McKendree shot 61.0% from the field, 47.8% from distance, and 71.4% from the stripe while the Beavers ended with 17.1%, 12.5%, and 50.0% respectively. 

• With the large victory, the Bearcats dominated in several statistical categories including points off turnovers (51-3), bench points (73-9), and points in the paint (72-10). 

• This marks a program record in the NCAA Division II era for McKendree as the program scored the most points in a game with 110 (previous high of 106 against Davis & Elkins College in 2013). This is the third time within the era that they eclipsed the 100-point plateau. 

• The Bearcats also made a Division II record in total points in a half (68 in the first half) and total points in a quarter (40 in the first quarter). 

• With her four made field goals on the day, Breden now becomes the program's NCAA Division II all-time leader in field goals made with 424, surpassing Jordan Heberg with 420. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back in action on Wednesday, November 27th when they begin GLVC-play against Maryville University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois with tip-off set for 1:00 PM CT. 

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