(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 22)—Senior forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) poured in a season-high 30 points to lead the McKendree University men's basketball team to a 79-67 victory Saturday at home against Harris-Stowe State University.
Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) scored 21 of his points in the second half as the Bearcats used a 10-0 late in the contest to seal their fifth win in six outings. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as McKendree moved to the .500 mark on the year at 10-10 and 4-1 in American Midwest Conference play. Hobbie finished just two points shy of his career-high of 32 points, which was set last season in the Bearcats' AMC Tournament championship game victory over Park University.
With his 30-point outburst, Hobbie moved into a three-way tie for 12th place in the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Hobbie now has 1,678 points, pulling even with Dale Cruse and Lloyd Castillo on McKendree's career scoring chart.
The Bearcats will be on the road Thursday for another AMC contest at Williams Baptist College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Junior guard Karrington Pettiford (Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers) (Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers) added 14 points in the win for McKendree, while senior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro East Lutheran) chipped in with 10 points and a team-high four assists.
Harris-Stowe (7-14, 2-3 AMC) rallied from a 10-point deficit with just over seven minutes left, pulling to within 65-62 on a free throw by Terry Hollins with 3:42 on the clock. Freshman guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) (Evansville, Ind./F.J. Reitz) stepped up and hit a three-pointer and long-range jumper on the next two possessions to help the Bearcats regain a 70-62 advantage. A lay-up by Hobbie, a free throw from Wolff and two more foul shots from sophomore guard John Steppe (Effingham, IL/St. Anthony) (Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony) helped complete the decisive run as the Bearcats stretched their lead to 75-62 with 1:43 remaining.
In the first half, there were five ties and nine lead changes as the teams battled back and forth. McKendree closed the half on a 9-2 run, punctuated by a three-pointer from Hobbie in the final minute of the period, to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.
As a team, McKendree tied a season-high by hitting 11 three-point shots. The Bearcats were 11-of-25 from long distance against Harris-Stowe.
Junior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) ended the night with seven points and seven rebounds for McKendree. He needs 23 points to become the 46th player in team history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.
Terry Hollins pumped in a team-high 20 points to lead the way for Harris-Stowe. Jordan Loveless registered a double-double for the Hornets with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Darrion Lucius came off the bench to post 11 points.
This was McKendree's second victory over Harris-Stowe in 2010-11. The Bearcats edged the Hornets 64-62 back on Dec. 4 in the McKendree Classic at the Melvin Price Convocation Center. The teams will meet again in AMC play on Feb. 19 in St. Louis.
