The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 66-57 to McKendree on Saturday afternoon in Lebanon, Ill.
 
The Bearcats took advantage of the 24 turnovers by Lindenwood by turning the miscues into 23 points.  Kallie Bildner recorded her second-consecutive double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.  Bildner led the team with her 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.  Alex Haley dropped 12 points with three assists and one steal while grabbing one rebound.  Lindsey Medlen did not score in the contest, but dished out six assists and tallied two steals as Charisse Williams led the team with four steals.
 
Both teams started the game slowly as the Bearcats held a 6-3 lead until the 3:31 mark in the first quarter.  Lindenwood struggled offensively in the opening frame and registered just seven points while the opposition tallied 16 points.  McKendree bench compiled 14 points while Lindenwood did not have point production from the bench.  The Lady Lions turned the ball over eight times and shot just 18 percent in the first quarter.
 
McKendree jumped out to a 14-point lead with 8:16 to go in the half and held a comfortable margin for the remainder of the second quarter.  The Lady Lions pulled within six points after a three-pointer by Bildner closed the margin to 25-19.  McKendree closed out the quarter on a run that finished the half with a 38-24 lead at the break.  The Bearcats compiled 12 points in the paint while Lindenwood just scored on bucket in the lane.
 
Lindenwood made adjustments at the half to help with the post play as the Lady Lions defended the paint in the third quarter.  Gabby Walker scored on a fast-break in the paint at the 5:17 mark in the third frame.  The Bearcats again pulled away, but the tenacity of the Lady Lions kept them in the game including a layup by Bildner at the 2:10 mark closed the deficit to eight points.  Lindenwood held the Bearcats to just two points in the paint while both squads played an even third quarter, resulting in a 50-39 lead for McKendree.
 
Haley scored for points for the Lady Lions in the first 1:31 of the fourth quarter, but Lindenwood did not score again until Megan Foster knocked down a three-pointer with 3:48 to play.  The deficit was too much for the Lady Lions to overcome as the team ran out of gas in the comeback and fell 66-57. 

Head Coach Tony Francis stayed positive in the non-conference loss and felt it was a learning experience for his team.

"We struggled at the beginning of the game in establishing our offensive flow which led to our younger kids trying to play outside themselves," said Francis.  He closed, "late in the game we started playing better and that will lead to our continued improvement as a team."
 
Lindenwood falls to 1-2 on the season while McKendree moves to 2-1 on the year.  The Lady Lions will play their first game in Hyland Arena this season against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Wednesday at 2 p.m.