ROLLA, Mo. – McKendree scorched the nets in the first half Saturday afternoon at Gibson Arena and its hot shooting propelled it to an 84-71 victory over Missouri S&T's women's basketball team in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest.
The Bearcats (11-3, 7-1 GLVC) made nine of their first 10 shots from the field and ended up shooting 61.8 percent over the first 20 minutes of play. S&T traded baskets with the Bearcats over the first three-plus minutes of the contest and were tied at eight after a pair of
Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) free throws, but McKendree went on a 9-0 run to seize control of the lead for good.
Chorus Davis' (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep) lay-up at the 2:05 mark of the opening period trimmed the Bearcat lead to five at 21-16 before McKendree took a seven-point advantage into the second quarter, where it continued its hot shooting to build as much as a 19-point lead by the time the contest reached the half.
After McKendree extended the margin to 20, the Miners (3-12, 0-7 GLVC) began cutting into the lead and had it down to 13 following a put-back by
Addison Hopkins (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge). After shooting just 33.3 percent in the first half, S&T connected on 47.1 percent of its tries in the third quarter as it outscored the Bearcats 20-18 and then had a 24-20 advantage on the scoreboard in the fourth period thanks to making nine-of-13 (69.2 percent) in the final period.
S&T finished the day at 45 percent from the field and had a game-high 17 points from
Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) to lead the way. Roberts was the only Miner to score in double figures, while
Franchesca Metz (Downers Grove, IL/Nazareth Academy) and
Norah Gum (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) finished with nine points apiece and
Jada Lindesmith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lutheran-St. Charles) ended up with eight.
McKendree, who closed the day at 54.3 percent from the field, got 16 points from Naomi McDaniel and 15 from Clare Breden in the win.
Missouri S&T will be on the road for a pair of games next week, beginning with a Thursday night tilt against Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
