McKendree (8-17, 3-14 GLVC) took control early after scoring 11 unanswered points, taking a 13-3 lead. The Eagles got within eight points a few times after that, but the Bearcats went on a 13-4 run to close the half with a 17-point lead.
“It’s really disappointing,” sophomore forward/center Anna Hackert said.
Hackert, who was averaging 15.1 points per game, went 0-6 and finished the game with only 1 point before fouling out with four minutes left to play.
“We needed to attack the zone better,” Hackert said.
The Eagles were also outrebounded 54-31, getting to the free-throw line for the first time after Hackert was fouled late in the second half.
“We didn’t get the ball inside at all,” Hackert said, “There were many gaps we should have penetrated.”
The Eagles bounced back in the second half, making almost double the amount of baskets as they did in the first half.
Junior guard Ariel Barnes was a shining light for the Eagles after going 10-18 from the field, totaling 20 points on the night.
“Our intensity level wasn’t where it needed to be from the start,” Rick Stein, women’s basketball head coach, said. “We really have to take responsibility for our level of play. The team has to be thinking how they are going to run a play and finish that play.
“We couldn’t finish plays and it got us on our heels. We need our leaders to get back to their defined roles.”
The Eagles will play their final regular-season game today against Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) at the PAC. This will be the last time these conference rivals will play each other. KWC will leave the GLVC to join the newly created Great Midwest Athletic Conference beginning next season.