LEBANON, Ill. - The women's basketball will go on a trip for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) contests as they take on Dury University on Thursday, January 16th, followed by Southwest Baptist University on Saturday, January 18th.
Against Drury, this will be the 17th all-time meeting between the two programs as the Panthers have claimed all 16 prior matchups dating back to 2012. The closest defeat came in their first-ever meeting, losing by seven (61-68), as the largest margin of defeat was by 56 (55-111) in the 2022 season.
A couple of days later, against SBU, it will be the 18th meeting between the two. The Bearcats from Missouri won the first 14 of the series, while the Bearcats from Illinois picked up the last three, with all three McKendree wins coming between 12-15-point margins. McKendree is 3-1 when scoring 70+ against SBU.
BEARCATS CURRENTLY
After dropping their first GLVC game of the season a couple of weeks ago, McKendree returned home to capture a pair of victories. They beat William Jewell College on a low-scoring affair on Thursday and followed with a runaway win over Truman State University on Saturday.
The first game against WJC was close to start, as the Cardinals went on a 14-2 run in the opening minutes to give them a four-point lead at the end of quarter number one. A low-scoring affair in the second period did not see much offense, but Mckendree did score five straight to hold a one-point lead with minutes left, but WJC knocked in a couple of buckets to head into halftime up 28-25. The Bearcats would claw their way back after a tagged-team 17-point run by senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) and sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.), with the former contributing 12 of such to go up 42-39 at the end of the third quarter. Both teams traded buckets in the final period of regulation until a 13-2 run by Breden, Parks, and junior guard Georgia Duncan (Washington, Ill.) lifted McKendree to a 64-51 win. Breden finished with 29 points, tying a career-high in which set against the University of Missouri-St. Louis on February 15th, 2023. She went 4-7 from three-point range while collecting three rebounds, a pair of steals, and an assist. Parks was second in scoring with 17 points on 8-12 shooting and corralling 15 rebounds along with four assists and a trio of blocks.
In the following victory over Truman State University, it was a battle within the first several minutes of action as the score would be tied at 18 with 2:49 to go in the first quarter, but McKendree reeled of an 8-0 run in the final minutes to go up by eight at the break. An eight-point period by freshman forward Kyra Taylor (Davenport, Iowa) held the Bearcats steady as they would lead 44-31 going into halftime. The Bulldogs would try to fight their way back into the third period, but Taylor kept doing what she had been doing in the interior to keep a nine-point advantage. McKendree continued to fight the Truman State offense as the Bearcats utilized a 12-0 run in a five-minute span down the stretch to win their sixth conference game 72-60. Taylor led the Bearcats to victory with her career-high setting 22 points on a very efficient 10-13 shooting from the field while also corralling four rebounds (three offensive), dishing out a pair of assists, and collecting a steal. Breden followed with 19 points which included going 6-7 from the free throw line while also snagging four rebounds along with three assists and steals. Parks rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came away with a pair of steals.
Parks has continued to be dominant night in and night out for the Bearcats, as she already has six double-doubles so far into the season and has scored double-figures in all 13 contests. Her 17.2 points per game leads the team as well as placed second in the entire conference. She shoots a GLVC-best 56.4% from the floor, which ranks 20th in the Division II level. The Lake Zurich, Illinois native also remains ferocious on the boards, ranking in the top-sic in the GLVC in all related statistical categories, including total rebounds per game (1st – 10.0), defensive rebounds per game (1st – 7.2), total rebounds (2nd – 130), and offensive rebounds per game (6th – 2.8). The total rebounds per game are 27th in the country and her defensive rebounds per game are 18th.
Breden, who won this week's GLVC Player of the Week, is another player who is continuing to make an impact for the Bearcats as she is second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points a contest while also leading in assists (3.8) and steals (1.7). She earns an abundance of her points from the charity stripe, making 70 of her 95 free throw attempts, which both rank first in the conference as she converts on 73.7% of her attempts. Her passing ability also brings quality, as her assists per game and total assists (49) are each fourth in the GLVC with a 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio.
As a team, McKendree is one of the better well-rounded teams in the whole GLVC. They are placed in the top three in many categories, including field goal percentage (1st – 47.3%), free throw percentage (1st – 75.8%), free throws made (1st – 16.4), free throw attempts per game (2nd – 21.6), scoring offense (2nd – 77.8 ppg), assists per game (3rd – 15.6), rebound margin (3rd – +6.7), scoring margin (3rd – +14.5), and three-point percentage defense (3rd – 28.3%). The Bearcat field goal percentage ranks third in the entire nation as their scoring offense places 14th.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Drury University | Thursday, January 16th, 5:45 PM CT
Last Matchup: L, 75-87 on 2/17/2024 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
Drury is tied with McKendree for second in the GLVC standings at 6-1 in conference play while currently having a 10-4 record overall. They dropped their last contest – and their only in the GLVC thus far – to Missouri S&T, 57-63 after a rally by the Miners on their home floor. Prior to that, the Panthers have won seven of their last eight with the only loss within came against the number one team in the nation in Grand Valley State University.
The player to look out for on the Panthers is senior guard Caitlynn Daniels, as she is coming off a triple-double in their last outing against Missouri S&T and is second in team scoring at 13.4 points per game. Her 85 assists and 2.1 assists per game are both second in the conference, as well as her 2.4 steals per game. Her running mate, sophomore guard Rhi Gibbons scores the most with 13.9 points per game, which is good for 11th in the GLVC. Gibbons also shoots a fifth-best from the free throw line at 81.3% on 52 makes.
What Drury has been known for thus far into the season is their high-octane scoring of 77.9 points a contest, which is good for first in the conference and 13th in the entire country. That also comes with efficient shooting as they knock down 35.7% of their three-point shots and 45.2% of their overall shots, both second in the GLVC. Their rebounding is also top four in the conference, grabbing 41.5 a game with a +6.2 margin. Lastly, their 30.1 bench points a game is top two in the conference and 15th in the nation.
Southwest Baptist University | Saturday, January 18th, 1:00 PM CT
Last Matchup: W, 99-62 on 2/15/24 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
Unlike Drury, SBU has had an underwhelming third of the way into the season. They did beat Lincoln University (Mo.), 77-52 on the road in their last outing, but have lost five of their last six with the lone win coming on their home court against WJC by one point, 81-80. They currently sit at 5-8 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Before taking on McKendree, the Bearcats from Missouri will face the University of Illinois Springfield on Thursday.
The Bearcats have three double-figure scorers and are led by graduate guard Amber Storr, who contributes 13.2 points a night, which is ranked 14th in the GLVC, and her free throw percentage of 82.2& places fourth. Another player to look out for is the second leading scorer in senior center Tori Hamilton who initially started her career at Division I Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and averages 12.7 points a night. She also leads the conference in offensive rebounding at 4.3 per game and also corrals 8.6 total a night while averaging 0.9 blocks.
Hamilton's presence is a big reason why the team leads the GLVC in offensive rebounding at 15.9 per game. They also lead the conference collectively at free throw attempts at 24.1 a contest while making 14.9 of them on 61.7% shooting. Do not undermine their defensive presence as well, as they turn the opposition over 17.6 times a game and tallies 9.6 steals on average.
TUNE IN-FO
at Drury University
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Drury]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Drury]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Drury]
at Southwest Baptist University
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Southwest Baptist]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Southwest Baptist]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Southwest Baptist]
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