(LEBANON, Ill., March 2)—The McKendree College men’s basketball pulled away down the stretch for an 84-75 victory Friday at home against Columbia College in the semifinals of the American Midwest Conference Tournament.

Sophomore guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) scored 15 of his team-high 24 points in the second half as the Bearcats advance to the AMC Tournament championship game for the third consecutive year and seventh time in the last eight years. McKendree, the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, is now 22-10 overall and will head to top-seeded Illinois-Springfield for the AMC title game on Monday at 7 p.m. The Prairie Stars rallied past Missouri Baptist University to win Friday’s other conference semifinal contest, 100-78.

 

Monday’s game is a rematch of the 2006 AMC Tournament championship contest, which was won by Illinois-Springfield, 83-76.

 

“We had a much better overall effort in the second half,” said McKendree head coach Harry Statham. “Our defensive intensity improved greatly, and our shot selection was better. We also hit our free throws in the second half, especially down the stretch.”

 

In the second half, McKendree made 23 of 24 free throw attempts (95.8 percent), and were 31-of-36 from the stripe in the game. Palm was a season-best 13-of-13 from the line. The Bearcats also committed a season-low seven turnovers.

 

McKendree led 39-37 at the half and built a 14-point advantage midway through the second half. Columbia (16-16) started to chip away at the deficit, and pulled to within 74-70 on a three-pointer by Trae Hall with 1:23 to go. The Cougars, out of timeouts, were forced to foul McKendree, and the Bearcats were able to increase their lead from the line. McKendree made all 10 of its free throw attempts in the final 1:05 of play. Palm was 6-for-6 in that span for the Bearcats.

 

Senior forward Mark Stovall (St. Louis, Mo./Jennings) (St. Louis, Mo./Jennings) added 18 points for McKendree, while junior guard T.J. Stone (Hendersonville, Tenn./People's Academy) (Hendersonville, Tenn./People’s Academy) chipped in with 16 points. Sophomore forward Nick Livas (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) posted his second straight double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bearcats.

 

Bryant Chambly posted 21 of his game-high 29 points to pace Columbia. Louis McCrary came off the bench to add 16 points and Marcus Bradford notched 10 points.

 

McKendree and Illinois-Springfield split their season series, with each team winning on the road. The Bearcats pulled out a 98-97 overtime victory Jan. 25 in Springfield, while the Prairie Stars returned the favor with a 94-86 win Feb. 17 at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.

 

“We will definitely have our hands full against UIS,” said Statham. “They are extremely talented and athletic. They have three players that can take over at any point of the game. Both games in the regular season were extremely close and it should be another highly-competitive game. We’re looking forward to Monday.”