LEBANON, Ill. - The women's basketball team will open up play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) this week, and dip into early next week as they host Maryville University on Wednesday, November 27th, and travel to Rockhurst University on Monday, December 2nd.
Against Maryville, this will be the 19th all-time meeting between the two programs as McKendree lost last year at home, 72-87, after pulling off three straight wins where the Saints lead 11-7 currently. Against Rockhurst, it will be the 14th meeting of all-time for the two teams, as the Bearcats won last year's matchup, 69-55. The series was back-and-forth since the latter part of the 2019 season where the Hawks lead 8-5 currently.
BEARCATS CURRENTLY
McKendree is coming off possibly their most dominant performance in program history, beating the wheels off in-state opponent Blackburn College, 110-16. The Bearcats started out with a record 40-point first quarter which would eventually lead to a record-setting 68-point first half as the team shot 74.4% from the floor in that half and 80.0% in the first quarter. The 110 points is a team-high in the entire NCAA Division II era, where they only eclipsed the 100-point plateau two times prior.
Freshman sensation, guard Tessa Crawford (Jerseyville, Ill.) chipped in a team-high 19 points in the win, going 8-14 from the field and 2-6 from deep. Sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and freshman guard Olivia Corson (Normal, Ill.) each contributed 12 points with the former going 5-6 from the floor, as junior forward dropped in 10 points on 5-7 shooting.
As it currently stands, Parks is seventh in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting a high 67.4% from the field. Senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) broke the program's career field goals made in the win over Blackburn with 424, surpassing Jordan Heberg who had 420. Breden needs 22 more points and three more free throws makes to also become the program's all-time leader in career points and career free throws made respectively in the NCAA Division II era.
With the team currently at 4-0, they rank first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 1.85 as they take very good care of the ball while being inclusive on the floor. McKendree also ranks top-five nationally in several other categories, including field goal percentage (4th – 51.1%), scoring margin (4th – 39.8), scoring offense (5th – 91.3 ppg), three-point percentage defense (4th – 17.1%), and turnovers per game (3rd – 10.3).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Maryville University | Wednesday, November 27th, 1:00 PM CT
Last Matchup: L, 72-87 on 1/25/2024 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
In the preseason slate, Maryville went up against two Division I opponents in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Indiana University. They managed to beat SIUE thanks to an abundant 33 points off their bench although it would not count towards their record. In non-conference and regular season play, they sit at 1-4 overall with their lone win coming against a familiar foe to the Bearcats in Roosevelt University. Like McKendree, the Saints beat the Lakers 76-62, but would go on a three-game losing streak with the first two of which coming short by three or fewer points.
From the desk of the Saints' sports information department, senior guard Gracie Stugart is the only player in all NCAA divisions (I, II, & III) who averages at least 9.0 points per game, 8.0 assists per game, and 7.0 rebounds per game as she has 9.4, 8.2, and 7.4 respectively. Stugart leads the nation in minutes played with 38.96 per game, as well as assists per game where she has 41 total thus far.
As a team, they like to shoot it from deep, being ranked 13th in the country in three-point attempts per game with 28.2. They also take good care of the ball, turning it over 12.4 times a contest.
Rockhurst University | Monday, December 2nd, 5:15 PM CT
Last Matchup: W, 69-55 on 11/30/2023 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
As of this writing, Rockhurst is having a slow start to their season, sitting at 0-3 in the young season. They lost by a combined 34 points in their recent outings in the Gorilla/Bearcat Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hawks will play Park University (Mo.) on Wednesday, November 27th, and will open up GLVC action against Truman State University on Saturday, November 30th.
Graduate forward Keegan Sullivan is a name to watch for the Hawks, as she is averaging 19.0 points a game, which ranks second in the conference. Sullivan is also first in the GLVC with two double doubles as she pulls down an abundant 9.7 rebounds a contest.
As a team, Rockhurst loves to get to the charity stripe, making 16.7 free throws a game, which is good for first in the conference and 33rd in the nation. They attempt 22.0 a game and shoot a solid 75.8 from that spot.
TUNE IN-FO
vs Maryville University
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Maryville]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Maryville]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Maryville]
at Rockhurst University
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Rockhurst]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Rockhurst]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Rockhurst]
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