ST. LOUIS – Maryville used a pair of dominant middle-quarter surges and a balanced scoring effort to pull away from McKendree 64-49 on Tuesday night at Moloney Arena, opening GLVC play with a convincing home win. Lindsey Schadewalt led the Saints with 17 points knocking down three 3-pointers and adding five rebounds. Bree Shannon added 11 points, while Olivia Hahn pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a tightly contested first quarter that ended with Maryville ahead 14-12, the Saints seized control with a 15-2 run early in the second period, sparked by Rigdon's floater, Pluemer's transition 3 and another Rigdon triple. That burst pushed the lead to double digits. Rigdon converted a jumper, and Schadewalt sank a corner triple. Liz Behan's layup led to a 29-14 edge. Maryville eventually took a 31-24 advantage into halftime.
 
McKendree briefly steadied itself but every Bearcat push was countered by the Saints. Maryville opened the third quarter with another strong stretch, using a 6-0 run capped by Schadewalt's layup to extend the lead to 39-27. Schadewalt later buried a deep 3 just before the third-quarter buzzer to restore a 48-36 cushion. The Saints held the Bearcats to 2-of-16 shooting midway from late in the second quarter to midway through the third.
 
In the fourth, the Saints kept McKendree at arm's length with disciplined defense and timely free-throw shooting. Maryville repeatedly generated second-chance opportunities and dominated inside with a 32-12 edge in points in the paint and held the lead for more than 36 minutes
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points: Lindsey Schadewalt - 17
Rebounds: Olivia Hahn - 10
Assists: Gracie Gopalan - 3
3-Pointers: Lindsey Schadewalt - 3
Steals: Annika Pluemer - 4
Blocked Shots: Alicia Burgos - 3
 
RECORDS
Maryville: 5-1, 1-0 GLVC
McKendree: 2-2, 0-1 GLVC
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Saints are next in action when they host Missouri-St. Louis Monday, Dec. 1, in a 5:15 p.m. tip in Moloney Arena.