(SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 28)—Senior guard Eric Palm (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the McKendree University men's basketball team to an 80-69 victory Saturday at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Palm, who scored 36 points in the first meeting between the two schools back on Jan. 31 in Lebanon, made 13-of-15 free throw attempts to lead the Bearcats to their 19th consecutive win on the year. McKendree, which is ranked No. 4 in NAIA Division I, wraps up its regular season with a record of 26-4. The Bearcats finished an undefeated run in American Midwest Conference play, going 14-0 in the league. This is the second time in school history that McKendree was perfect in AMC action. The Bearcats were 10-0 in the AMC during the 2002-03 season.
McKendree will be the top seed in the AMC Tournament, which begins Thursday with quarterfinal play. The Bearcats will host either Harris-Stowe State University or Williams Baptist College at 7 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.
Sophomore forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) added 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds for McKendree, while sophomore forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) chipped in with 10 points.
The Bearcats led throughout, racing to a 12-4 lead in the first five minutes of play. Illinois-Springfield trimmed the deficit to one on two different occasions in the first half before McKendree battled its way to a 39-34 lead at the intermission. The Prairie Stars edged closer in the early stages of the second half before an offensive rebound and slam dunk by Copelin at the 11:47 mark to give McKendree a 54-42 lead.
Illinois-Springfield (20-8, 10-4 AMC) made one final run, pulling within 59-58 with just over six minutes left after two technical free throws by Jacob Motteler. Hobbie answered with a three-pointer on the Bearcats' next possession, and McKendree was able to slowly increase its lead in the closing minutes.
In two games against Illinois-Springfield, Palm scored 63 points and was 29-of-33 from the free throw line. McKendree has now won its last 18 conference games dating back to last season's 72-65 at UIS on Feb. 9, 2008.
Nick Livas paced Illinois-Springfield with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Richard Oruche chipped in with 14 points and Ralph Woodson came off the bench for 10 points.
-McK-
