ST. LOUIS - Despite a strong second half performance in which the University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s basketball team rallied from an eight-point deficit with two and a half minutes to play, the Tritons came up short in a 65-63 loss to McKendree Thursday night.

 

After a jumper by the Bearcats’ Haley Klingelhoefer put McKendree up 62-54 with 2:29 on the clock, junior Kelly Carter drained back-to-back three-pointers pulling UMSL within 62-60 with 1:31 remaining. Klingelhoefer pushed the lead back to four with 21 seconds left before a lay-up by sophomore KeAmber Vaughn made it 64-62 with 14 seconds. Vaughn then went to the free throw line seconds later and hit the first of two attempts to make the score 64-63, but McKendree’s Jill Wolf would counter with the second of two free throws for the final score. UMSL got two shot attempts off in the waning seconds, but could not convert.

 

The loss moves UMSL to 1-1 on the season, while McKendree improves to 5-2.

 

Carter finished with 12 points, draining 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while senior Kristi White recorded a team-best 13 points in a balanced offensive attack. Senior Lindsey Ransome and sophomore Caitlyn Moody each chipped in nine points.

 

The Tritons finished the game shooting 39.3 percent from the floor, including 41.4 percent in the second half, while McKendree shot 45.8 percent and held a 39-31 rebounding advantage. Ransome and Deckard each pulled down seven rebounds, while Vaughn recorded four steals. Ransome and Deckard each dished out three assists.

 

UMSL begins a five-game roadswing at Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.