(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 31)—Senior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) posted a season-high 36 points to lead the McKendree University men's basketball to an 82-74 victory Saturday at home against University of Illinois at Springfield.
Palm set a career-high by making 16-of-18 attempts from the free throw line to lead McKendree, the No. 8-ranked team in NAIA Division I, to its 12th consecutive victory. The Bearcats move to 19-4 on the year and remain undefeated in American Midwest Conference play at 7-0. McKendree has now opened up a two-game lead in the AMC standings. Illinois-Springfield, ranked No. 23 in NAIA Division I, slips to 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference.
Sophomore forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) added 16 points and seven rebounds, while freshman forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) notched a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Rakers also registered a game-high four blocked shots. Sophomore guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) flirted with a triple-double and finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and a team-leading seven assists.
McKendree surged in front in the opening moments thanks to a 10-1 run to grab a 10-3 lead at the 15:31 mark of the first half. The Prairie Stars battled back and took their final lead of the game, 28-27, on a lay-up by Nick Livas with 6:29 left in the period.
Palm then scored 10 of McKendree's next 12 points during a 12-5 spurt to give the Bearcats the lead for good, 39-33, with 2:52 left until halftime. McKendree led 45-37 at the intermission and took their largest lead of the game, 68-52, on a lay-up by Palm with 4:39 to play.
Illinois-Springfield made one final run, forcing three consecutive McKendree turnovers en route to an 8-0 run to pull within 68-60 at the 2:57 mark. But Palm once again took over down the stretch, scoring 11 of the Bearcats' final 14 points.
Jacob Motteler came off the bench to lead Illinois-Springfield with 18 points, while Kelvin Johnson added 16 points and seven assists. Livas recorded a double-double with 10 points and a team-best 10 rebounds for the Prairie Stars.
McKendree will return to action Thursday with an AMC game at William Woods University. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., in Fulton, Mo.
-McK-
