LEBANON, Ill. – The women's basketball team handled their business in compelling fashion against Lincoln University (Mo.) on Thursday, January 23rd in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois. 

Score: McKendree University 80, Lincoln University (Mo.) 58 

Record: Bearcats 11-5, 7-3 GLVC | Blue Tigers 1-15, 0-10 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams started out the game a bit rusty, not being able to get much into the hoop. Lincoln took hold of the first several minutes of play to go up 8-4 whereas on the other end, freshman forward Kyra Taylor (Davenport, Iowa) had the first four points for McKendree. A 9-4 run by the Bearcats catapulted the home squad back into the lead as it was Taylor again, this time on a pair of mid-range jumpers to give her team a 13-12 lead after quarter number one. 

An eight-point quarter from Bearcat sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) helped her team start to pull away from the Blue Tigers. A sunken three-point shot from sophomore guard Emma Slings (Polk City, Iowa) with 40 seconds remaining in the half put McKendree up with a 33-27 lead heading into the break. 

The four-point lead from half number one would turn into a fourteen-point advantage at the end of the third period as Parks continued to dominate with another 11 points to add to her arsenal. Her teammates in Slings and junior guard Georgia Duncan (Washington, Ill.) would cap off the quarter with each sinking a three-pointer in the final minute in back-to-back possessions and would lead 58-44. 

With the game pretty much out of hand, Parks sealed it off in opening minutes of the final period of regulation where she layed it in three straight times that would complement an 8-0 run by the Bearcats to lead by 20. McKendree would come away with a huge win at home, beating Lincoln 80-58. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Parks' 27 points in the win is a career-high since dropping 26 in the win over the University of Illinois Springfield on December 7th, 2024. She supplemented her performance with eight rebounds and an assist while going 12-18 from the field and 3-3 from the line. 

• Taylor scored 16 points for the second straight game, this time on 8-10 shooing while corralling four rebounds and dishing three assists. 

• Duncan rounded out the double-figure scoring for McKendree as she had 10 points, five rebounds, and one assist and steal. 

• Lincoln junior guard Imani Harris led her team in scoring with 22 points on the evening while shooting 10-17. She stuffed the stat sheet with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. 

• McKendree shot 53.1% from the field, 40.0% from distance, and 50.0% from the stripe while the Blue Tigers ended with 45.5%, 7.7%, and 58.3% respectively. 

• The Bearcats were +10 in points off of turnovers, +3 in bench points, +18 in points in the paint, +11 in second-chance points, and had a 10-0 advantage in fast break points. 

• McKendree's 22-point win over Lincoln was the biggest win margin in conference play since winning by 26 last season against the University of Indianapolis on March 2nd. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back in action on Saturday, January 25th, when they remain home to take on Missouri S&T at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois, with tip-off set for 1:00 PM CT. 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
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