ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The women's basketball team finished just short in their first conference loss of the season against Lewis University on Sunday, January 5th in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action at the Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Illinois. 

Score: McKendree University 80, Lewis University 84 

Record: Bearcats 8-3, 4-1 GLVC | Flyers 11-1, 5-0 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two in-state opponents were ready to play in the opening minutes of the game. Sophomore forward Baylie Parks (Lake Zurich, Ill.) gave McKendree their first three points of the period with a successful and-one opportunity. Lewis responded in hot fashion, knocking down three straight three-point shots in a one-minute and 12-second span to put them up by eight early as senior guard Jenna Badali was responsible for scoring or assisting on all three. In the following possessions, senior guard Clare Breden would take matters into her own hands by sinking a three-pointer of her own and then taking it to the rack for an easy two. Both sides would battle out the rest of the first quarter as freshman forward Kyra Taylor (Davenport, Iowa) went off for three straight layups for her team, followed by an and-one jumper from sophomore guard Emma Slings (Polk City, Iowa) kept the Bearcats within reach. However, 11 points made on the Flyers' end with five coming from sophomore guard Ally Cesarini gave Lewis the 22-17 edge at the end of period number one. 

A 11-5 run by the Bearcats – capped off by a lay-in from Parks – gave the visiting squad their first lead since the opening minutes of the contest, where Slings was able to contribute five of such points in the span. Badali answered the run with another made three-pointer to give the Flyers the lead once more, but McKendree went on a mini 5-0 spurt to put them up three with a little under four minutes remaining till half. Yet, Lewis eked a 9-6 run from their end to tie the game at 39 a-piece heading into halftime. 

Heading into the second half of play, Lewis kept their momentum going their way, starting off with a 9-3 run that was largely due to six made free throws from senior forward Cierra McNamee. The two teams would trade baskets for the rest of the third quarter, with neither side going on a run. Senior guard Maci Meyer (Hubertus, Wis.) kept McKendree content with the Flyers by knocking down a pair of three-pointers as Lewis would find themselves up narrowly, 60-57 heading into the final period of regulation. 

After an opening layup in the fourth quarter from Cesarini and the Flyers, the Bearcats would go on a monumental push and score seven straight to regain the lead and be up by two. Both teams continued to trade buckets for the next two and a half minutes of play until Lewis connected on back-to-back layups from Cesarini and senior guard Tara Gugliuzza to put them up by four. McKendree responded well with two shots of their own from within the painted area from Parks and Slings to tie it back up. With 1:10 to go in regulation, Flyers' sophomore forward Gabi Hoover sank in a shot from beyond the arc to give the home squad a three-point lead as shortly after, Parks made a fundamental move in the paint that became a hook shot to bring the Bearcats within one. On the next possession at the other end, Cesarini grabbed an offensive rebound of a missed shot with the shot clock winding down and quickly put it back in, making it the dagger of a tightly contested game. Slings was able to bury a three-pointer in the midst of intentional fouling by the Bearcats but would still end short to Lewis, losing the conference matchup 80-84. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• McKendree had four of their players finish with 13 or more points in the game, with Parks leading the way with 17 and continuing her dominance in stuffing the stat sheet with nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals while going 8-15 from the field and 1-2 from deep. 

• Breden tabbed in 15 points while junior guard Georgia Duncan (Washington, Ill.) had 12 with both having four rebounds a-piece as the former went 7-12 on the floor and dished out a game-high seven assists while the latter knocked down an efficient 3-4 shots while going 1-2 from three. 

• Slings and Meyer rounded out the double-digit scoring by sinking 13 points each with the former obtaining four assists and shooting 50% from the field, while the latter recieved a pair of steals.

• Lewis also had four double-figure scorers in their win as Cesarini finished with a game-high 21 points by going 9-13 from the floor and corralling five rebounds. 

• McKendree shot 53.7% from the field, 50.0% from distance, and 66.7% from the stripe while the Flyers ended with 44.4%, 43.5%, and 85.7% respectively. 

• Despite the loss, the Bearcats finished +6 in bench points (16-10) and +2 second-chance points (12-10). 

• Lewis was +5 on fast break points (10-5) and was +1 in points off of turnovers (12-11). 

• Scoring in the paint was somewhat even for both sides, as McKendree ended with a 38-36 edge inside. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back in action on Thursday, January 9th, when they return to the friendly confines of the Harry M. Statham Sports Center to take on William Jewell College in Lebanon, Illinois, with tip-off set for 5:30 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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