(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 21)—Four players scored in double figures to lead the McKendree University men's basketball team to a 77-64 home victory Saturday against Hannibal-LaGrange College on Senior Day.
Senior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) led the way with 19 points, while sophomore forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) chipped in with 17 points, six rebounds and three steals to lead McKendree to its 18th consecutive victory. The Bearcats, ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Division I coaches' poll, moves to 25-4 on the year and 13-0 in American Midwest Conference action.
Sophomore forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) chipped in with 12 points and junior forward Ken Detmer (Aviston, Ill./Breese Central) added 11 points in the win for McKendree. Copelin and Detmer each grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds for the Bearcats, who have not lost since an 80-79 loss back on Nov. 28 to Freed-Hardeman University in the Union University Classic.
Saturday's win also marked win No. 990 in the career of McKendree head coach Harry Statham. The all-time wins leader in men's college basketball history, Statham pushed his career record to 990-379 in his 43rd season at McKendree.
McKendree grabbed a 36-34 lead at the half thanks to a 17-foot jumper by Palm just before time expired in the period. The Bearcats neve trailed in the second half, although Hannibal-LaGrange pulled within 40-39 on a three-pointer by Matt Schmechtig with 17:08 remaining. The Bearcats responded with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to pull out to a 50-41 advantage.
Hannibal-LaGrange (10-18, 5-7 AMC) rallied one final time, reeling off eight consecutive points to pull with 56-53 at the 7:57 mark. McKendree then put the game away by outscoring the Trojans 15-4 to regain a 71-57 lead with just over two minutes to play. All five McKendree starters scored during the decisive run.
Schmechtig scored a game-high 23 points to lead Hannibal-LaGrange, while Gerrell Well netted 12 points and Brian Gilbert pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
Prior to Saturday's contest, McKendree honored its two senior players in a pre-game ceremony: Palm and forward John Ruesler (Bridgeton, Mo./DeSmet) (Bridgeton, Mo./DeSmet). Ruesler finished the game with five points in nine minutes of action.
McKendree will wrap up its 2008-09 regular season next Saturday, Feb. 28, with an AMC contest at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. The Bearcats is looking to complete an undefeated run through the AMC schedule for just the second time in team history. The 2002-03 McKendree squad was 10-0 on its way to the league's regular-season title.
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