(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 23)—The McKendree University men’s basketball recorded a 60-47 victory Saturday at home against Hannibal-LaGrange College.

 

McKendree, ranked No. 12 in NAIA Division I, led for the majority of the contest, but could not shake free from an upset bid by the Trojans. The Bearcats won despite posting a season-low 60 points in the victory. McKendree moves to 22-6 overall and maintains its one-game lead in the American Midwest Conference standings at 12-1.

 

On Tuesday, McKendree will wrap up its 2007-08 regular season at Columbia College. The contest was originally scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed due to poor travel conditions across the area. Tip-off at Columbia is set for 7 p.m. The winner of Tuesday’s contest will earn the top seed in the AMC Tournament, which begins on March 1. Columbia is ranked No. 20 in the latest NAIA Division I poll.

 

Against Hannibal-LaGrange, freshman forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) led a balanced attack for McKendree with 13 points. Freshman forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O’Fallon, Ill./O’Fallon) chipped in with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while junior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) notched 11 points and a game-high six assists. Senior guard T.J. Stone (Hendersonville, Tenn./People's Academy) (Hendersonville, Tenn./People’s Academy) scored five of his 10 points in the final three minutes of play to help the Bearcats hang on for the win.

 

McKendree led by as many as eight points before Hannibal-LaGrange (13-16, 5-9 AMC) battled back to tie the game at 26-26 with 1:56 left in the period. A lay-up by Palm and a jumper by Hobbie allowed the Bearcats to build a 30-26 lead at the intermission.

 

A 9-3 run midway through the second half put McKendree in front 47-34 at the 10:07 mark. The Trojans pulled to within 51-43 on two free throws by Naim Benjamin with 3:08 remaining, but the Bearcats were able to seal the game at the free throw line. A pair of foul shots by freshman guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) and Stone in the final 45 seconds allowed McKendree to pull away.

 

Nick Michalas scored a game-high 19 points to lead the way for Hannibal-LaGrange. Haakon Skuggedal pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds for the Trojans.