Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist University's women's basketball team heads to Illinois this week for an important stretch of GLVC action as the Bearcats look to build momentum in conference play.

SBU is coming off a split week, opening with a strong 68–51 win over Lincoln University. Nahia Esnaola led the way with a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. The Bearcats were then tested by conference-leading University of Missouri St. Louis, falling 84–54 to the Tritons. Now, SBU faces another challenging road trip that could play a key role in their postseason push.

This week's action begins Thursday, January 5, as the Bearcats take on McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, at 5:30 p.m. McKendree currently sits fourth in the GLVC standings with a 5–2 conference record and enters the matchup riding a three-game winning streak after victories over UIndy, Truman State, and William Jewell. They boast the league's top-ranked offense and feature a balanced scoring attack, with only one player inside the conference's top 10 in scoring.

After facing McKendree, SBU will continue the road swing on Saturday, January 17, facing the University of Illinois Springfield at 1:00 p.m. inside the TRAC in Springfield, Illinois. The Prairie Stars are 5–10 overall and 2–5 in GLVC play, tied with SBU in the standings. UIS is coming off back-to-back losses to Truman State and Quincy University but remains dangerous behind Kayla Rice, who averages 16 points per game and ranks third in the GLVC in three-point shooting.

This week's road trip presents a pivotal opportunity for Southwest Baptist University as the Bearcats look to stay in the hunt for a spot in the GLVC Tournament. SBU will return home on January 22 to host the University of Indianapolis at the Meyer Sports Center.

To stay up-to-date with this week's action for women's basketball and all other SBU athletics, visit sbubearcats.com and follow us on Instagram (@sbubearcats) for live scores, news updates, and daily content.