(WALNUT RIDGE, Ark., Feb. 15)—The McKendree College men’s basketball topped the 100-point mark for the sixth time this season with a 101-70 road victory Thursday at Williams Baptist College.

 

Sophomore forward Nick Livas (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) led the offensive surge with 18 points as the Bearcats notched their fifth consecutive win. McKendree improves to 19-8 overall to match its win total for the 2005-06 season. The Bearcats are now 7-2 in the American Midwest Conference, and are currently in second place in the league standings.

 

McKendree will host the AMC’s top team, the University of Illinois at Springfield, Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Melvin Price Convocation Center. The Prairie Stars hold a 9-1 mark in conference games this season. Their lone loss came in overtime at the hands of McKendree back on Jan. 25 in Springfield, Ill., 98-97.

 

Senior forward Mike Strobbe (Ferguson, Mo./McCluer) (Ferguson, Mo./McCluer) scored 14 points to move into ninth place on the Bearcats’ all-time scoring list. Strobbe pushed his career total to 1,744 points to pass Dennis Korte, who collected 1,735 points during his McKendree career from 1966-70. Strobbe also led the Bearcats with eight rebounds against Williams Baptist.

 

At Williams Baptist, McKendree continued its hot shooting of late by making 56.3 percent of its field goal attempts (36-of-64) in the contest. The Bearcats were 12-of-23 from three-point range against the Eagles, just five days after connecting for 13 three-pointers against Harris-Stowe. McKendree also outrebounded Williams Baptist by a 45-28 margin.

 

McKendree never trailed in Thursday’s contest, racing to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of action. The Bearcats used a 10-4 run to grab a 25-15 lead midway through the first half, and led by as many as 15 points before taking a 43-31 advantage at the intermission.

 

The Bearcats exploded for 58 points in the second half, shooting better than 58 percent from the field, to pull away for the win. A 14-2 run midway through the period gave McKendree its largest lead of the night, 77-44.

 

Senior forward Mark Stovall (St. Louis, Mo./Jennings) (St. Louis, Mo./Jennings) and sophomore guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) each added 14 points in the effort, while junior guard Trent Kull (Altamont, Ill./Altamont) (Altamont, Ill./Altamont) came off the bench to post a career-high 12 points, including 10 in the first half. Livas and Strobbe dished out a team-leading five assists.

 

Jermaine Templeton had a game-high 20 points along with eight rebounds to lead Williams Baptist, which slipped to 12-13 overall and 1-8 in the AMC. Elisha Harris added 18 points in a reserve role for the Eagles.

 

NOTE: McKendree College Alumni Night will be held on Saturday, Feb. 17 when the Bearcats take on the University of Illinois at Springfield at the Melvin Price Convocation Center. The McKendree women’s team will play at 5 p.m., with tip-off for the men’s contest set for 7 p.m. McKendree alumni will receive free general admission and a T-shirt. There will be special activities for alumni between games. For more information, contact the McKendree Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-BEARCAT, ext. 6813.