ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western women's basketball (6-3, 2-0 MIAA) gets one last non-conference test this season when they head to Lebanon, Illinois to face undefeated McKendree (7-0, 3-0 GLVC) on Tuesday night.

Tip-off in the game is set for 5:30 p.m. CT from the Harry Statham Sports Center. The game will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network.

Where We Left Off
 Alyssa Bonilla had another stellar game with 27 points and Missouri Western women's basketball (6-3, 2-0 MIAA) kept up its winning ways with a 80-66 victory against Emporia State on Dec. 7 at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Bonilla also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Griffons pushed their current win streak to four games.

Missouri Western got off to a 20-8 start and never looked back. Emporia State (4-5, 1-1 MIAA) made a solid push and got to within 42-37 at halftime. The Griffons responded with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 16-6 in that frame to lead 58-43 entering the fourth.

Once again, Emporia State made a push, getting it to within 62-54 with 6:39 remaining. But, Missouri Western answered that with a 10-3 run to lead 72-57 with 3:43 to go. It was never close after that, as the Griffons made free throws down the stretch to pad their lead.

Matilda Soderlund came off the bench for 17 points on a 5-of-8 effort from three. Kassandra Caron also came off the bench for a season-best 14 points and nine boards. Marie Sepp added 12 points to go with five assists and three steals.

Missouri Western shot 46.8% (29-of-62) from the field, including 9-of-29 (31%) from three. The Griffons also made 13-of-16 at the free throw line. MWSU outrebounded Emporia 42-38, and held the Hornets to 33.8% shooting (23-of-68) and just 5-of-29 from three (17.2%).

Minimal McKendree History
This marks just the second ever meeting with McKendree in women's basketball. The Griffons last faced the Bearcats in St. Joseph on Nov. 29, 2019 and won 52-50.

Makin' it Rain
Missouri Western has made 87-of-254 three-point attempts (34.3%) so far this season. Their 87 makes are most in the MIAA and 13th most in the nation. The Griffons are averaging 9.7 made threes per game - first in the MIAA and sixth most in the nation.  Missouri Western also ranks No. 2 in the MIAA with its 34.3% clip from long range.

Getting to Know the Griffs
Missouri Western hired its 10th head coach in program history this past offseason, naming Ashton Feldhaus to the position on April 15. Feldhaus takes the reins after spending the previous five seasons as the top assistant and associate head coach for NCAA Division II Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In those five years, Eckerd won a combined 91 games and made the NCAA tournament in each of those five seasons. They also won the Sunshine State Conference championship this past March.

As for the team itself, Missouri Western returns five players from last year's team that won an MIAA regular season championship for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2016.

Bonilla is Ballin'
Alyssa Bonilla is back for her fourth season after leading the team in 2023-24 with 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. She's taken on a more significant role this season, averaging 16.9 points (4th MIAA), 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists (2nd MIAA, 16th nation) and 2.2 steals per game so far.

Familiar Faces
 Meredith Rieker, Kelsey Johnson, Kassandra Caron and Jaidyn Schomp make up the rest of the returners. Caron played in 30 games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Coming off the bench this year in all nine games, Caron is averaging a solid 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

Schomp has started every game thus far, and leads the team with 10 blocked shots. She's also averaging 5.0 points and 3.8 boards per game.

From St. Petersburg to St. Joseph
The Griffons added five transfers this offseason, including four from Division I schools. Jessica Ford transferred in from NCAA Division II Eckerd College, following Ashton Feldhaus to St. Joseph from St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally from Marlborough, England, Ford started 22 games for the Tritons last season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, helping Eckerd to a 20-win season and a Sunshine State Conference tournament championship.

Ford leads MWSU in rebounding so far with 6.3 boards per game. She corralled a career-best 13 rebounds against Emporia State on Dec. 7.

Soderlund can Shoot
Matilda Soderlund transferred in from Morehead State, where she played 30 games and made five starts last season. The Stockholm, Sweden native led the Eagles last season with 45 made three-pointers.

Soderlund is averaging 10.1 points per game thus far for the Griffs, having scored in double-digits five times already, including a career-best 22 points against Colorado State-Pueblo. Soderlund is also one of the sharpest shooters in the MIAA, making 23-of-48 (47.9%) from long range, ranking second in the league and 15th in the nation in three-point percentage. Soderlund is making 2.6 treys per game - tied for second most in the MIAA.

More D1 Experience
Laura Toffali joins the fold after a two-year stay at Kennesaw State. A Villasanta, Italy native, Toffali played in 38 games for the Owls over the last two years, including four career starts. She scored a total of 114 points over those two years.

Marie Sepp comes over after two seasons at Division I University at Albany. She appeared in 54 total games and scored 38 total points in that time. So far at MWSU, Sepp is averaging 10.4 points per contest.

Malgorzata Byczkowska transferred after one year at Tarleton State. A native of Gdynia, Poland, Byczkowska spent the 2022-23 season at Howard College in Big Springs, Texas, earning WJCAC All-Conference honors. She averaged 13.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg that season as well.

Meeting McKendree
McKendree is one of just 12 undefeated teams left in NCAA Division II women's basketball. Their 7-0 start is their best start in the DII era, which for them started in the 2013-14 season. McKendree already owns a win over MIAA member Washburn this season as well.

Personnel-wise, Baylie Parks leads McKendree with 17.6 points per game, which is second most in the GLVC. Parks is up to 3rd in the nation in field goal percentage, converting 67.5% of her shots. Parks also leads the team with 9.0 rebounds a game, which is also 5th most in the GLVC.

As a team, McKendree ranks first in the GLVC in several statistical categories, including assists per game (16.3), bench points per game (32.1), field goal percentage (48.5%), free throw percentage (75.3%), free throws made per game (16.6), scoring margin (+26.3), scoring offense (83.1 ppg), steals per game (11.1), three-point percentage defense (21.6%), turnover margin (6.7) and turnovers forced per game (19.9).4

The Bearcats' field goal percentage ranks second in the country, and its scoring margin sits at fifth best in the nation as well.