(LEBANON, Ill., March 5)—For the second consecutive game, the McKendree University men's basketball team used a similar script in posting a 67-63 victory Saturday at home against Harris-Stowe State University in the semifinal round of the 2011 American Midwest Conference Tournament.
The Bearcats, who had to overcome a six-point deficit in the second half of its AMC Tournament quarterfinal win against Missouri Baptist University, trailed by eight with less than seven minutes to go against Harris-Stowe. But a 17-2 run down the stretch pushed McKendree out in front to stay and gave the Bearcats their ninth consecutive win.
McKendree, the No. 21-ranked team in NAIA Division I, moves to 20-11 on the season. The Bearcats, who are the No. 1 seed in the AMC Tournament, will host third-seeded Park University on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the league's post-season championship. The Pirates used a rally of their own on Saturday at Columbia College to reach the title game, climbing out of a 10-point hole at the half to defeat the host Cougars 60-56. McKendree and Park split their two regular-season meetings, with the Bearcats winning last Saturday (Feb. 26) in Parkville, 69-68.
Senior forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) registered game-high totals of 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way for McKendree. Junior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) (Centralia, Ill./Metro East Lutheran) narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds and nine assists for the Bearcats.
Harris-Stowe (12-20) battled back from a 32-26 halftime deficit to build a 47-40 lead midway through the second half. The Hornets used a 14-4 run to grab the lead from the Bearcats. Harris-Stowe eventually took its largest lead of the contest, 55-47, on a three-pointer by Robert Mumphard with 7:18 on the clock.
McKendree responded by scoring the next 11 points as part of its decisive run to momentarily regain a 56-55 advantage. Hobbie had the last five points of the burst for the Bearcats, including a three-pointer with 2:44 remaining that pushed McKendree out to a 56-55 lead.
After Harris-Stowe scored on its next trip down the floor to grab a 57-56 lead, junior guard Karrington Pettiford (Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers) (Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers) drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:59 to play to give the Bearcats the lead for good, 59-57. After a Hornets' miss, Wolff scored on a driving lay-up to extend the lead to four. A lay-up by Rakers and a free throw from Pettiford helped the McKendree lead build to 64-57 in the last 30 seconds.
The Hornets' final threat came when Terry Hollins hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to cut the deficit to 66-63, but Wolff was fouled on the inbounds play and hit the front end of a two-shot foul to help seal the win for McKendree.
Mumphard poured in a team-leading 22 points to lead Harris-Stowe. Hollins finished with 16 points and a team-best seven assists, while Darrion Lucius grabbed 12 rebounds for the Hornets. The victory on Saturday was the fourth of the season for the Bearcats against Harris-Stowe.
In addition, thanks to Saturday's victory, McKendree reached the 20-win mark for the 21st time in the last 22 years. It is the 35th time that the Bearcats have collected 20 wins in a season under the leadership of head coach Harry Statham. The all-time wins leader in men's college basketball history at the four-year level, Statham picked up career victory No. 1,042 on Saturday.
