St. Louis, MO - McKendree University Women's Basketball (2-1, 0-1 GLVC) made the short trip across state lines to take on the Maryville Saints (5-1, 1-0 GLVC) in Tuesday night's GLVC opener from Moloney Arena. McKendree battled defensively and forced 18 turnovers, but a tough shooting night coupled with Maryville's separation resulted in a 64-49 setback. The Bearcats stayed within striking distance throughout the night and clawed back to single digits multiple times, but Maryville's efficiency made the ultimate difference. 

McKendree came out with energy, generating early transition chances off of turnovers and getting post touches through names like Kyra Taylor and Baylie Parks. While the Bearcats created multiple second-chance looks thanks to offensive rebounds from Morgan Feil and aggressive guard play, but shots just would not consistently fall despite the quality of the opportunities. Maryville capitalized late in the frame with a small run, but Tessa Crawford buried a three and Taylor Fohey connected on a pull-up jumper to keep McKendree within two at the break, 14-12. 

Maryville opened the second quarter with a burst, stretching the lead behind perimeter shooting and transition buckets after McKendree turnovers. The Bearcats struggled to find rhythm offensively, but Feil provided a steady presence at the free throw line, scoring seven of her points in the quarter to stop the bleeding. Crawford added a pair of free throws and helped push the tempo defensively, but Maryville's ability to convert off steals and second chances created separation. McKendree went into halftime down 31-24, still within reach. 

The Bearcats looked to close the gap early out of the locker room, as Crawford and Chloe White applied pressure defensively and sparked opportunities on the other end. Feil continued to attack, and Taylor helped by way of her interior offense to get within a couple of possessions. However, Maryville seemed to have an answer for every run, getting timely scores, extending the margin as the quarter wore on. By the end of the quarter, McKendree faced a 48-36 deficit. 

McKendree showed one final surge to open the fourth, as Crawford drilled a three and Fohey scored on a turnaround jumper to bring the margin back to single digits. Moments later, Olivia Corson added a deep three of her own, briefly tightening the game more. McKendree continued to get those opportunities off of turnovers, more Feil free throws, and more Taylor interior offense, but Maryville answered yet again to right their collective ship. Despite holding Maryville to 16 points in the quarter, the Bearcats couldn't quite overcome the second-half gap and fell by the 15-point margin. 

BEARCAT NOTABLES
Morgan Feil | 10 points (8-10 FTs), 7 rebounds (4 offensive)
Tessa Crawford | 9 points, 5 steals, 3 assists
Chloe White | 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Baylie Parks | 4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Taylor Fohey | 5 points, 4 rebounds

BEARCAT TEAM STATISTICS
Field Goals | 14-of-61 (23.0%)
Three-Pointers | 3-of-24 (12.5%)
Free Throws | 18-of-24 (75.0%)
Points in the Paint | 12
Points Off Turnovers | 15
Second Chance Points | 12
Fast Break Points | 4
Bench Points | 24
Rebounds | 39
Fouls | 21
Assists | 8
Turnovers | 13
Steals | 11

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
vs. Rockhurst Hawks (3-1 Overall, 0-0 GLVC)
Monday, December 1st - 5:30 PM
at Statham Sports Center - Lebanon, IL
Watch Live ($) (GLVCSN)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
Tickets (UniversityTickets)