JACKSON, Tenn. – Sara Mendel's 23-point double-double was not enough for the Lady Panthers as their three-game winning streak came to an end at Union on Monday evening, 98-75.
 
Union raced out to a 9-0 lead before Drury could even blink. The Bulldogs' full court pressure forced four turnovers in the first two minutes of the game.
 
The Bulldogs stayed hot for the entire opening ten minutes, winning the opening quarter 23-12, while the Lady Panthers turned the ball over ten times.
 
In the final 32 seconds of the first quarter and the first five minutes of the second quarter, Drury turned the game around, going on a 16-3 run to bring the game within one point, 26-25, the closest it would be for the remainder of the night.
 
During the 16-3 run, Union was 1-11 from the field and 0-4 from three. Drury was 7-9 with only one three-pointer made.
 
Following the second quarter media timeout, the Bulldogs ended the half on a 13-9 run to take a 39-34 lead into the half.
 
The Union pressure got to the Lady Panthers, once again, to start the second half. Drury turned the ball over three times in the first minute of the half, but the Bulldogs were only able to capitalize with three points.
 
The Drury deficit got to as much as 22 points entering the fourth quarter. Union outscored Drury 33-16 in the third quarter.
 
The final quarter was the most offensive quarter of the night. In the fourth quarter, there was no team that broke away for a run; both sides kept it close, allowing Union's big third-quarter lead to prevail, 98-75.
 
GAME NOTES

• The win was Union's first against Drury in program history. The Lady Panthers now hold a record against the Bulldogs, 4-1.
• The game was the fourth straight for the Lady Panthers on the road. The road stretch ends on Saturday at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
• It is the second time this season that Drury has trailed wire to wire, along with the season opener at Ferris State.
• Drury scored 22 points in the second quarter and 25 in the third quarter, both season highs for those quarters.
• Drury outshot Union in the game, 51.7% to 50.7%. The Bulldogs shot 41.9% (13-31) from three, ten percent better than the Lady Panthers, 31.6% (6-19). The 31 attempts for Union were the most attempts against Drury since the 2024 season, when William Jewell went 7-30.
• The Lady Panthers outrebounded the Bulldogs 40 to 26.
• Drury turned the ball over 25 times, 20 resulting in steals for Union. 20 steals is the record that the Lady Panthers have allowed in program history.
• Union outscored Drury off turnovers 38 to 8.
• Drury was successful scoring in the paint (36 to 34), second chance (10 to 5), and fast break (14 to 13).
• Sara Mendel added her fifth double-double of the season and second 20-point double-double. She ended with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 11 made field goals. It was a career high for Mendel in points and field goals.
• Kaylee King added 14 points on six made field goals.
• Rhi Gibbons picked up 12 points to extend her double-digit streak to nine games to start the season.
• Both Jazz Gray and Sage Stratton added eight points off the bench.
• Six Bulldogs scored in double-figures: Abigail Bryan (20), Courtney Zensen (15), Olivia Lee (14), Katie Yoder (13), La'Sonja Hill (12), and Morgan Escobedo (10).
• Escobedo had a strong stat line to end the night: ten points, six assists, five rebounds, and five steals.
• Union scored 90 points for the seventh time this season.

 
QUOTABLE
"We just had to take a deep breath after that first quarter," said Coach Kaci Bailey postgame, "You can try and practice that speed, but you can never match it. We knew we could play with them, and that second quarter showed us and gave us some confidence."
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Panthers get a rematch with Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday afternoon on the road for a 2 pm tip-off.
 
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