(HANNIBAL, Mo., Jan. 24)—The McKendree University men's basketball team won a battle to the finish Saturday at Hannibal-LaGrange College, escaping with a 68-65 victory.
Senior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) posted a team-high 17 points and made five key free throws in the final minute, but had to survive a potential game-tying three-point shot in the closing seconds as the Bearcats notched their 11th consecutive win. McKendree, the No. 8 team in NAIA Division I, jumps to 18-4 overall and 6-0 in the American Midwest Conference.
Palm made one of two free throws with 15.5 seconds to play to give McKendree a 68-62 lead. Hannibal-LaGrange's Matt Ayers came down and banked in a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds on the clock to trim the margin to 68-65. The Bearcats then turned the ball over, giving the Trojans possession underneath their basket with a chance to tie the contest.
On the final play, Hannibal-LaGrange got the ball to Donnie Tapley, whose shot was blocked by McKendree junior forward Ken Detmer (Aviston, Ill./Breese Central) to preserve the win for the Bearcats.
Sophomore guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) matched a career-high with 15 points, while sophomore forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) also netted 15 points for the Bearcats. Freshman forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) came off the bench to post 10 points and 10 rebounds, as Detmer chipped in with a game-high 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
McKendree trailed 33-31 at the intermission before the teams went toe-to-toe in the second half. There were seven ties and 11 lead changes in the final 20 minutes of play. The Bearcats took the lead for good, 55-53, on a basket by Hobbie with just over six minutes to play.
Brian Gilbert poured in a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the first half, and nine rebounds to lead the way for Hannibal-LaGrange. Ayers scored 10 points in a reserve role for the Trojans, who fall to 6-14 overall and 2-3 in the AMC.
By scoring 17 points, Palm moved past Kevin Schwartz and Mark Markus into eighth place on the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Palm now has 1,773 career points at McKendree. Next up in seventh place is Mike Strobbe, who netted 1,875 points during his Bearcat career from 2003-07.
The Bearcats will have a week off before hosting the University of Illinois at Springfield in an AMC contest. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.
-McK-
