Lebanon, IL - The McKendree University Women's Basketball team is feeling good, coming off the high of GLVC road wins of 20 and 46 points, and they'll look to keep that momentum going when they return home to the Statham Sports Center this weekend. The Bearcats (8-5, 5-2 GLVC) will take on Southwest Baptist (5-8, 2-5 GLVC) on Thursday at 5:30 PM, before what's sure to be a measuring-stick battle against the Drury Panthers (9-5, 6-1 GLVC) on Saturday at 1:00 PM, with the latter matchup being between the teams seeded 2nd and 4th in the GLVC entering the weekend.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE SOUTHWEST BAPTIST GAME
Watch Live ($) (GLVCSN)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
Tickets (UniversityTickets)

HOW TO FOLLOW THE DRURY GAME
Watch Live ($) (GLVCSN)
Live Stats (Sidearm Sports)
Tickets (UniversityTickets)

RECAPPING WILLIAM JEWELL
McKendree closed out a two-game road trip to Missouri with a dominant 94-48 GLVC win over William Jewell on Saturday. After a competitive first quarter, the Bearcats pulled away by locking in defensively in the second quarter and never looked back. McKendree's lead continued to grow each quarter, and the 46-point victory tied the largest margin of conference victory (home or away) since joining the GLVC. 

Morgan Feil paced the Bearcats with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Kyra Taylor added 14 points and went a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Baylie Parks contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, showcasing her all-around impact. Kylie Moeller scored nine points off the bench, and Maliah Sparks and Taylor Fohey each finished with eight as the Bearcats featured seven players with at least seven points. 

SCOUTING THE SOUTHWEST BAPTIST BEARCATS
Southwest Baptist's schedule is a bit of a see-saw affair. They started the season (1-3), with all three losses coming by at least 15 points, but then just a few weeks later, their second GLVC game was a mere 58-57 loss in Bolivar to Drury. Starting with that loss to the Panthers, Southwest Baptist has alternated in and out of the win column, with their most recent game being an 84-54 loss to UMSL. In the loss to the Tritons, SBU was unable to fend off UMSL's offense, as the Tritons scored 22, 28, and 20 points in the first three quarters. There were still reputable offensive numbers, as Claudia Diez Sancho (12 pts, 4 reb, 3 blk), Natalia Crooke (11 pts), and Ida Lusadisu N'Gonda (10 pts, 5 reb, 3 blk) were all in double figures. Southwest Baptist swatted a season-high 7 blocks, and have gotten 5 or more blocks in a game seven different times. 

Bigger picture, four different players are averaging at least nine points per game: Crooke (10.6), Lusadisu N'Gonda (9.3), Kamiyah Hurd (9.2), and Reagan Wells (9.2). Third-year head coach Wyketha Harrell has kept a relatively consistent starting lineup, with Crooke and Hurd both starting in all 13 games, and Lusadisu N'Gonda tallying 10 starts so far. Hurd (101 total / 7.8 rpg) and Nahia Esnaola Agaen (94 total / 7.2 rpg) lead the rebounding, while Lusadisu N'Gonda (15), Diez Sancho (14), and Tinu Fakunle (13) all have 10 or more blocks. 

The Bearcat roster also features seven international players, with countries represented including Spain, England, and France. 

SCOUTING THE DRURY PANTHERS
The Panthers are (9-5) through 14 games, but still (6-1) in league play, with their lone loss being at home to Missouri S&T on January 8th (67-74). Eight different Panther games have been decided by single digits, with Drury going (5-3) in such games. Most recently, the Panthers took care of the Lincoln Blue Tigers by an 86-49 final score. The game saw an impressive 54-25 out-scoring of the Blue Tigers in the second and third quarters. The Panthers were led by Sara Mendel's double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Kaylee King (14 pts), Rhi Gibbons (11 pts, 8 reb), and Audra Pasakarnis (10 pts) were also in double figures. Drury shot a blistering 53.2% from the field. 

McKendree will have to beat a very disciplined Panther squad, which has only turned it over 20+ times in one game all season (98-75 loss to Union-TN in December). Drury has also shot 40% or better from the field in eight of their last nine games, and has broken 50% three times. Mendel (14.9 ppg) and Gibbons (14.1 ppg) lead the scoring, with Mendel nearly averaging a double-double at 9.9 rebounds per game. 

Historical Note
It's no secret - the Drury Panthers have long been a stalwart in the GLVC Women's Basketball landscape. The blueprint for success starts with the run their head coaching position has been on of late. Molly Miller is now the Head Coach of (16-2) Arizona State - she coached in Springfield from 2014-2020, going 180-17 before a remarkable run at Grand Canyon from 2020-2025. Amy Eagan took over after Miller's departure, and Eagan went a blazing (87-9) during her run before departing for Division-I Lindenwood. Now, the reins are in the hands of Kaci Bailey, who's prior head coaching stop before the Panthers was at fellow GLVC member Quincy, where she went (22-36) in two seasons. Bailey is (56-19) so far at Drury.