Box Score
BOX SCORE

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 26)—Senior guard Kyle Heckert (Venedy, IL/Okawville) closed out his McKendree University career in style Sunday night by leading the Bearcat men's basketball team to a 91-70 victory over Minot State University in the D-II Vegas Showdown in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
Heckert (Venedy, Ill./Okawville) poured in a career-high 25 points in the Bearcats' 2011-12 season finale, hitting 7-of-13 shots from the field and matching a career-best by making 9-of-10 free throw attempts. Heckert also added four assists as McKendree wrapped up its season with an overall record of 18-12. The Bearcats, in the midst of a transition towards NCAA Division II membership, are not eligible for post-season play.
 
Junior forward David Ruckman (Freeburg, IL/Freeburg) (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg) registered his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win for McKendree. Senior guard Karrington Pettiford (Florissant, MO/Christian Brothers) (Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers) and junior guard John Steppe (Effingham, IL/St. Anthony) (Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony) each chipped in with 13 points, while senior forward Sean Rakers (New Baden, IL/Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) matched Ruckman for team-high honors with 10 rebounds. Steppe dished out a team-leading six assists for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree turned up the pressure defensively on Minot State, holding the Beavers to just 34.8 percent shooting (23-of-66) in the contest. That included a 25 percent clip in the first half when the Bearcats built a 41-29 lead at the break. McKendree opened the game on a 19-8 run over the first seven minutes of play. Sophomore guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) (Evansville, Ind./F.J. Reitz) had seven points during the Bearcats' opening burst, including a rare four-point play at the 14:37 mark of the period.
 
The Bearcats slowly increased their lead throughout the period, taking a 16-point advantage on three different occasions in the half. Minot State (3-23) hit a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to pull within 12 points at the intermission.
 
Another fast start in the first four minutes of the second half enabled McKendree to stretch its lead to 20 points. The Bearcats opened the period with a 13-5 spurt to grab a 54-34 lead with 16:01 left. A three-pointer from Steppe with 11:50 to play capped a 13-4 run that gave McKendree its largest lead of the night at 69-42.
 
Rakers closed out his McKendree career with 1,513 points, which ranks 22^nd on the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Rakers also finished with 166 blocks, good for fourth on the team's career chart.
 
Chris East and Thomas Korf each scored 17 points to lead Minot State. East also hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds for the Beavers, who held a 43-40 edge on the boards against the Bearcats.