LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball is set to play its final away games of the regular season this week at Southwest Baptist on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m. and No.23 Drury on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. The McKendree Bearcats are currently 17-6 overall and 13-4 against Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents.
McKendree enters the weekend ranking third in the GLVC by conference record just behind first-place Drury and second-place Lewis but first in the GLVC according to the Points Rating System. McKendree will meet Southwest Baptist and Drury for the first time this season. As a team, McKendree has its highest rankings in field goal percentage (45.1 percent) and blocks (3.61 blocks per game) as they are second in both categories. Senior guard Madyson Harper moved up to third place for three-point percentage in the conference, netting 39.6 percent of tries beyond the arc.
Southwest Baptist sports a 9-13 overall record and a 5-11 GLVC record to rank 11th in the conference. Six players average seven points or more for SBU, including top scorers senior Karlee Holland (9.0 ppg), junior Tori Hamilton (8.9 ppg), and senior Kallyn Stumbo (8.8 ppg). SBU's highest statistical ranking for the conference is in rebounding as they average the second-highest number of rebounds at 40.7 per game.
McKendree faces the reigning GLVC tournament champions Drury for the first time since Feb. 9, 2023. The Panthers rank first in the conference by record as well as in average points, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, and assists. The top scorers for Drury include sophomore Reese Schaaf (16.5 ppg) and graduate student Beth Matas Martin (16.0 ppg) as Schaaf takes the top spot in GLVC for field goal percentage. Matas Martin leads in three-point percentage (45.4 percent) while junior Caitlynn Daniels tops free throw percentage (95.3 percent) and assists (5.5 per game).
Following the road trip, McKendree is back at home for the last three games of the regular season starting with Saturday, Feb. 24 against Missouri-St. Louis.
