(KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 21)—The McKendree University men's basketball team saw its 2007-08 season come to a close with an 80-64 loss Friday to Campbellsville University in the second round of the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
The Bearcats made just three of their 22 shots from three-point range as their eight-game win streak came to an end. McKendree, the No. 11 seed in the tournament, ends its year with an overall record of 27-7. Unseeded Campbellsville was 11-of-24 from beyond the arc, including a 60 percent effort (9-of-15) in the first half. The Tigers move to 25-9 overall and advances to Saturday's tournament quarterfinal round.
“They're a good team,” said McKendree head coach Harry Statham following the loss. “They came out aggressive and shot lights-out from outside. We had a tough time getting going, and a lot of that is attributed to their effort. Campbellsville is solid at every position, and they certainly played well against us.”
Freshman forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) paced the Bearcats with 20 points and 11 rebounds while freshman forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) chipped in with 19 points and seven rebounds. Hobbie scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. Junior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) added 13 points for McKendree.
Campbellsville scored eight of the first 10 points in the contest. Moments later, the Tigers exploded for 14 straight points to grab a 25-9 lead with 14:06 remaining in the first half. Later in the period, Campbellsville reeled off 15 consecutive points to grab its largest lead of the game, 46-19, with 2:28 to play in the half. McKendree fought back, and a three-pointer by senior guard T.J. Stone (Hendersonville, Tenn./People's Academy) (Hendersonville, Tenn./People's Academy) just before the horn sounded brought the Bearcats within 48-24 at the intermission.
McKendree tried to rally on several occasions in the second half. Hobbie scored 13 points over an eight-minute stretch in the period to bring the Bearcats within 75-60 with 3:42 on the clock. But the Bearcats could get no closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
For the game, McKendree shot just 37.7 percent from the field while Campbellsville connected on 51.7 percent of its field goal tries.
Nestor Colmenares led Campbellsville with a game-high 26 points along with 11 rebounds. Bubba Long scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half, while Marcus Nicks added 11 points before fouling out. The Tigers are making their first trip to the NAIA Tournament quarterfinals.
-McK-
