BOX SCORE

(ST. CHARLES, Mo., Nov. 5)—The McKendree University men's basketball team nearly overcame an 11-point second-half deficit, but came up short in an 81-79 loss Friday to Lindenwood University in the Texas Roadhouse Classic at St. Charles, Mo. The contest marked the season opener for both teams.

McKendree, the No. 8 team in the NAIA Division I men's basketball pre-season poll, trailed 69-58 with 5:29 remaining before tying the game at 79-79 on a three-point field goal by senior forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) with 15 seconds remaining. Lindenwood quickly pushed the ball upcourt to Alfred Nelson, who scored on a driving layup with eight seconds on the clock to help the Lions regain a two-point lead.

Following a McKendree timeout, the Bearcats tried to work the ball inside to senior forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon). The entry pass was tipped beyond the three-point arc, but Copelin saved it and launched a 25-foot shot just ahead of the final buzzer, which was off the mark.

McKendree, which trailed 31-28 at the intermission, opened the second half on an 18-7 run to build its largest lead of the night, 46-38, with 15:39 to play. Hobbie, who had a team-leading 24 points, hit a pair of three-pointers during the spurt for the Bearcats.

Lindenwood, the No. 14-ranked team in the NAIA Division I pre-season rating, answered by outscoring McKendree 22-6 over the next seven minutes to grab a 60-52 advantage at the 8:45 mark. The Lions eventually stretched their lead to 11 points before the Bearcats started to chip away at the deficit.

In the first half, McKendree edged out to a 12-7 lead before Lindenwood used a 13-3 run to take a 20-15 lead with seven minutes left in the period. The Bearcats made just one of nine shots during the six-minute stretch that enabled the Lions to grab the first-half lead. Lindenwood eventually pushed the margin to seven points before a pair of free throws by Hobbie and a layup by sophomore forward David Ruckman (Freeburg, IL/Freeburg) (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg) cut the deficit to 31-28 at the half.

Senior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) and sophomore guard John Steppe (Effingham, IL/St. Anthony) (Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony) each added 14 points for McKendree, with Wolff pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds for the Bearcats. Junior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds before fouling out.

Guard Kramer Soderberg led Lindenwood with 27 points. Brett Thompson connected for 15 points and grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds, while Richard Rose had 10 points for the Lions.

McKendree will meet Lindenwood University-Belleville on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the final day of the Texas Roadhouse Classic.