INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The women's basketball team utilized a monumental 35-14 run in the midst of the final quarter to pull off the road win against the University of Indianapolis on Friday, January 3rd in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action at the Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Score: McKendree University 84, University of Indianapolis 75 

Record: Bearcats 8-2, 4-0 GLVC | Greyhounds 2-10, 0-4 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

With both teams coming off some much-needed rest from the holiday break, UIndy began things off with a 10-5 scoring advantage on their home floor, but McKendree would be quick to answer with a sunken three-pointer from sophomore guard Emma Slings (Polk City, Iowa) and a pair of made free throws from senior guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill.) would knot the game up at 10 a-piece with a little over five minutes in the first quarter. Coming off the media timeout, the Greyhounds would respond right back with junior guard Jaelynne Murray converting her second made three plus a layup along with fellow teammate -- junior guard Ruby Garner – who dropped in a three of her own. With under a minute remaining, Bearcat freshman Kyra Taylor (Davenport, Iowa) and sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) were able to get inside for a couple of easy shots but would still be down slightly, 20-21 at the end of period number one. 

The two teams would take the contested battle into the second quarter, as in the first seven minutes of such were favored towards the Bearcats. The squad in purple and gold would round up a balanced shooting affair with a solid 14-7 run within the time span as Parks would tack on four more points, and the guards of sophomore Chloe White (Brussels, Ill.) and senior Maci Meyer (Hubertus, Wis.) adding to the team's tally with shots from beyond the arc. Despite being down by six and with 2:09 remaining, Garner and the Greyhounds embarked on a 10-1 run to close the half and head into the locker room up 38-35. 

The first minute and a half out of the break started a bit slow, as Taylor was able to close the McKendree gap down to two with a couple of made free throws from the stripe. Yet, UIndy would continue to make it hard on the Bearcats by reeling off 11 straight unanswered points after going 3-3 from three and 5-5 from the line in that spurt. Parks and company would make up ground with under five minutes to go in the third quarter with a plethora of layups and be down only 49-57 heading into the final stretch. 

In the final period of regulation, the Greyhounds sunk in a pair of inside shots to up their lead to 12, looking to be out of reach for their visitors. However, McKendree would not be denied as they went on a monumental 16-4 run by knocking down six of their seven attempted field goal shots and with Parks pushing in a layup and a free throw to tie the game at 65-all with 4:16 remaining. The hot-scoring advantage did not stop there for McKendree, as Taylor would score six of her squad's next eight points that turned into a 19-10 run in the final minutes and spoiled UIndy's chances of an upset bid with an 84-75 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• McKendree had five of their players score in double figures on the evening. Parks had the most with 22 points on 9-17 shooting while also stuffing the stat sheet with 12 rebounds, five blocks, three steals, and two turnovers. She has scored double digits in all 10 games played this season with this one being her fifth in double-digit rebounds. 

• Breden and Taylor supported with 18 and 14 points respectively as the former went an efficient 10-11 from the charity stripe and pulled down eight boards while the latter corralled five rebounds and shot 5-6 from the floor. 

• Slings and White rounded out with 11 points and a pair of boards each and combined 7-14 from the field. 

• For UIndy, they had four in double-figure scoring, with the most notable being Murray, who dropped in a team-high 18 points while going 5-8 from the floor, 2-4 from three, and 6-6 from the free throw line while snagging a pair of blocks and steals. 

• McKendree shot 46.7% from the field, 33.3% from distance, and 88.5% from the stripe while the Greyhounds ended with 44.8%, 50.0%, and 78.9% respectively. 

• The Bearcats dominated the paint, outscoring UIndy by 14 in that area. 

• Both sides took advantage of turning over the opposition as McKendree earned 19 points off of turnovers, while the Greyhounds earned 17. 

• Parks' five blocked shots are an individual program best since Naomi McDaniel swatted seven on February 24th, 2024, against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back in action on Sunday, January 5th, when they continue their road trip, this time to Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois at the Neil Carey Arena with tip-off set for 1:00 PM CT. 

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