(COLUMBIA, Mo., Feb. 26)—Junior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) scored on a basket and free throw with three seconds remaining to lift the McKendree University men’s basketball team to a 73-70 victory Tuesday night at Columbia College.

 

Palm’s late heroics capped a game-high 30-point performance as the Bearcats claimed the American Midwest Conference regular-season championship. McKendree, the No. 12-ranked team in the latest NAIA Division I poll, moved to 23-6 overall and finished AMC play with a 13-1 record. Columbia, ranked No. 20 in the same poll, slipped to 23-7 on the year and 11-3 in the league. Tuesday’s win marked the Bearcats’ fifth victory in its last six games at Columbia.

 

By winning the AMC regular-season title, McKendree secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament which begins on Saturday. The Bearcats will host No. 8 seed Williams Baptist College at 7 p.m., in the Melvin Price Convocation Center. McKendree swept the regular-season series against the Eagles, winning 98-73 back on Jan. 12 in Walnut Ridge, Ark., before posting a 121-57 victory on Feb. 7 in Lebanon.

 

At Columbia, Palm scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half thanks to a perfect shooting performance in the period. Palm made all seven of his field goal attempts, including a 6-for-6 effort from three-point range. As a team, McKendree was 10-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a 42-35 lead at the intermission. The Bearcats’ largest lead of the night came at 33-21 after Palm made two free throws with 7:22 remaining in the first half.

 

McKendree quickly regained a double-digit lead in the early stages of the second half before Columbia started to chip away at the deficit. A 10-3 run helped the Cougars pull to within 58-55 with 8:40 remaining. The Bearcats responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to extend the margin back to 65-57 with just under six minutes to play.

 

Columbia fought back to within 67-65 in the closing minutes before senior guard T.J. Stone (Hendersonville, Tenn./People's Academy) (Hendersonville, Tenn./People’s Academy) buried a three-pointer from the corner with 1:19 on the clock to push McKendree’s lead back to 70-65. The Cougars answered on their next possession on a three-pointer by Trae Hall with 1:07 left to cut the deficit to 70-68.

 

Following a turnover on the Bearcats’ next possession, Columbia tied the game as Hall made two free throws with 22.6 seconds on the clock. McKendree worked the ball to Palm at the top of the key, who drove the left side of the lane with the clock winding down. His turnaround 10-foot jumper in the lane found the bottom of the net, and Palm was fouled in the process. His free throw gave the Bearcats a 73-70 lead with three seconds to play.

 

The Cougars inbounded the ball to midcourt and called timeout to set up a final play. Hall got the inbounds just across midcourt, but his running 23-footer was just off the mark as the final horn sounded.

 

Stone added 18 points for McKendree, while freshman forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) chipped in with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Palm, senior guard Trent Kull (Altamont, Ill./Altamont) (Altamont, Ill./Altamont) and sophomore forward Ken Detmer (Aviston, Ill./Breese Central) each dished out three assists for the Bearcats.

 

Hall led Columbia with 21 points, while Christian Lewis came off the bench to post 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.

 

Tuesday’s win allowed McKendree to complete the season sweep of Columbia. The Bearcats registered a 79-50 victory over the Cougars back on Jan. 26 in Lebanon.