GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The women's basketball team could not capitalize on their comeback efforts against Davenport University on Saturday, December 21st in non-conference action at the Davenport Student Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Score: McKendree University 61, Davenport University 79 

Record: Bearcats 7-2, 3-0 GLVC | Panthers 3-7, 1-1 GLIAC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The six-hour trip to west-central Michigan resulted in a slow start to open the game for McKendree, who was on the backend of a 7-1 run made by Davenport and sophomore guard Isabel Lindo as she gave her squad a quick five points in the first four minutes. Yet, with a couple of made inside shots from senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.), the Bearcats roared right back on an 11-6 run to be down 12-13 at the end of the first quarter after the freshman forward from Davenport in Iowa, Kyra Taylor, sank in three straight free throws for her squad. 

The Panthers would make some serious ground in the second period of play as the Bearcats shifted their scoring offense amongst only three players throughout. Davenport's senior center Lillee Gustafson and McKendree's sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) each opened their team up with four points each as Lindo and Breden kept the trading-baskets trend going by both of them getting an inside shot to go in. Subsequently after, junior forward Ellie Toney knocked down back-to-back three-pointers for the Panthers to put them up by seven with 6:24 to go until halftime. Taylor would take over the final several minutes by scoring eight of McKendree's 10 points to keep her team within striking distance, but a pair of three-pointers from Davenport's sophomore guard Jada McCree gave the home squad a 38-28 lead heading into the extended break. 

Coming out of halftime, Parks, Breden, and Taylor headlined a solid 11-3 run in the opening three and a half minutes to cut their deficit to within two, but Davenport responded with an impressive 18-3 run of their own as they built their lead back up to 17  after going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and gave themselves a 59-42 advantage after period number three. 

The Panthers pushed their run to 24-3 after three successful inside shots to begin the final quarter of regulation. Both teams would then trade some more baskets in the next few minutes before the Bearcats would reel off 12 unanswered points with half from Parks in hopes of making a final comeback, but the Panthers would prove to be too much to handle on their home floor and snag the non-conference win against McKendree, 79-61. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Taylor notched a career-high in her young stint at McKendree, dropping 17 points by going 5-10 from the field and an efficient 7-8 from the charity stripe while corralling six rebounds and getting an assist, a steal, and a block. 

• Parks finished not too far behind with her second straight 16-point game as she went 4-12 from the floor, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a trio of assists. The Lake Zurich native has scored in double-figures in all games this season. 

• Breden ended with 13 points on 6-11 shooting while tabbing five assists. 

• Davenport finished with five double-digit scorers, with Toney earning a team-high 20 points from going 8-18 from the field and 4-8 from deep while corralling an abundant 14 rebounds with 13 on the defensive end. 

• McKendree shot 38.2% from the field, 16.7% from distance, and 76.2% from the stripe while the Panthers ended with 50.8%, 40.0%, and 33.3% respectively. 

• Despite the loss, the Bearcats had a 13-9 advantage on second chance points. 

• Davenport was +12 in scoring possessions in the paint. 

• Both teams finished with 13 points off of turnovers. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will take some rest into the holiday season and will be back in action on Friday, January 3rd, when they travel to the University of Indianapolis to take on the Greyhounds at Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana with tip-off set for 4:00 PM CT. 

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