Carbondale, IL - The McKendree University Women's Basketball team had its first preseason test on Wednesday, traveling to the Banterra Center to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis, DI members of the Missouri Valley Conference. McKendree went stride-for-stride with Southern Illinois for a large portion of the game, before the Salukis closed late to take a 76-56 victory.
McKendree matched pace out of the gate.
Tessa Crawford got the Bearcats started at the rim,
Olivia Corson buried a transition three, and
Emma Slings drove, drew contact, and steadied the offense late in the quarter to keep it even at 17-17. The Bearcats defended in space, limited second looks, and turned a couple live-ball stops into runouts.
Early in the second,
Kylie Moeller knocked down two free throws and then sprinted out for a layup to nudge McKendree in front.
Chloe White added a chase-down block that sparked another break, while
Morgan Feil kept possessions alive with work on the offensive glass.
Madison Johnson cashed a second-chance jumper, and
Kyra Taylor added late free throws before Southern Illinois slipped ahead, 34-31, at the break.
The third quarter was punch-for-punch. Taylor answered a Saluki push with a strong finish through contact, White raced out for a fast-break layup, and Crawford knifed in to tie it at 40-40. Slings knocked down free throws to steady things again, but a late Saluki bucket closed the frame at 51-45. McKendree created turnovers, got downhill, and continued to win extra chances on the glass to stay within a couple possessions for most of the quarter.
Southern Illinois made a difference in the fourth quarter with a quick burst. The Bearcats kept attacking the paint, drew whistles, and added a late three to cap the scoring, but at one point, were as close as seven points with around five minutes to go. The Salukis would manage the clock and pulled away as time wound down for the aforementioned 20-point margin.
The result still leaves the Bearcats with plenty of positives on film against a Division-I opponent, including drawn charges by Slings and Taylor, headed into their lone home exhibition game next Friday.
BEARCAT SCORING (No Other Stats will be reported)
Kyra Taylor | 18 points
Tessa Crawford | 11 points
Olivia Corson | 5 points
Madison Johnson | 5 points
Chloe White | 4 points
Kylie Moeller | 4 points
Emma Slings | 3 points
Maliah Sparks | 2 points
Morgan Feil | 2 points
Taylor Fohey | 2 points
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
vs. NAIA Culver-Stockton (1-1)
Friday, November 7th - 6:00 PM
at Statham Sports Center - Lebanon, IL
*No Live Broadcast / Live Stats*
Tickets (UniversityTickets)
