Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., November  21)—The McKendree University men's basketball team rode the hot hands of junior guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) and sophomore guard Mike DiGregorio (Morton Grove, IL/Niles Notre Dame) to an 82-74 victory Wednesday at home over Lincoln University.
 
Happe (Evansville, Ind./F.J. Reitz) and DiGregorio (Morton Grove, Ill./Niles Notre Dame) each poured in 26 points to lead the way for the Bearcats, as Happe netted 21 points in the first half and DiGregorio followed with 15 points in the second half. McKendree, playing in its home opener, picked up its first win of the season to move to 1-3 on the year. The victory also avenged an 86-72 loss at Lincoln one week earlier.
 
Senior guard John Steppe (Effingham, IL/St. Anthony) (Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony) flirted with a triple-double for McKendree, finishing the night with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the effort. Steppe led the Bearcats in both rebounds and assists in the victory.
 
The Bearcats did most of their damage from long distance against Lincoln, hitting 11-of-20 three-point shots. Happe hit all six of his trifectas in the first half, while DiGregorio chipped in with a trio of three-pointers.
 
McKendree held a one-point lead early in the first half before consecutive three-pointers by Happe sparked a 9-4 run to push the hosts out to a 21-15 lead. The Bearcats slowly extended their lead, using a 9-2 run later in the period to grab a 41-26 advantage with 3:52 left in the period. Freshman forward Brandon Drum (Peoria, IL/Dunlap) (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) capped the burst with a driving lay-up past two Lincoln defenders.
 
The Bearcats shot 63 percent from the floor in the opening half – which included a 9-of-15 output from beyond the arc – to take a 50-34 lead at the intermission. McKendree eventually stretched its lead to as many as 25 points before Lincoln (1-5) started to chip away at the deficit. The Blue Tigers outscored the Bearcats 21-8 over a nine-minute stretch to pull within 79-71 with less than a minute to play.
 
A free throw by Drum and two more from Happe with 15 seconds on the clock helped seal the victory for McKendree. The Bearcats are now 16-5 in home openers since the 1992-93 season.
 
Cedric Ridle scored a team-high 23 points before fouling out to lead the way for Lincoln. Charles Cole chipped in with 15 points along with game-high totals of 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Shakir Preston added 11 points and a game-best eight assists for the Blue Tigers.
 
McKendree will continue its home stand on Tuesday when the Bearcats play host to Lincoln Christian University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.