Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 26)—The McKendree University men's basketball team pushed its record to 2-0 on the year thanks to an 89-54 victory Wednesday night at home against Robert Morris University-Peoria.
The Bearcats shot 58.1 percent in the second half (18-of-31) in pulling away for the non-conference win at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. McKendree will hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday when it travels to Nashville, Tenn., for a match-up against Trevecca Nazarene University. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
Senior forward
Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) and junior forward
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) each narrowly missed a double-double in helping lead the Bearcats to the victory over Robert Morris-Peoria. Holmes netted a game-high 16 points with nine rebounds, while Book added 14 points along with nine boards. Junior forward
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) helped out with 14 points as senior guard
Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) connected for 11 points while adding four assists and a game-high three steals for McKendree.
McKendree took full advantage of 14 Robert Morris-Peoria turnovers, converting them into 25 points in the contest. The Bearcats also held a 48-24 edge in the paint versus the Eagles.
In the first seven minutes of play, McKendree jumped out to a 14-4 lead with Holmes scoring five points during the opening surge. The Bearcats then scored seven of the next nine points to build their largest lead of the half at 21-6 with 10:57 left in the period. Robert Morris-Peoria then used a 13-3 run of its own over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 24-19. A lay-up by Carson and a three-pointer from Book quickly extended the lead back to double-digits for McKendree, and the Bearcats were able to regain a 40-26 advantage at the intermission.
The Bearcats put the contest away at the outset of the second half, opening the period on a 13-5 burst to stretch its margin to 53-31 with 15:30 remaining. McKendree continued to add to its lead the rest of the way, leading by as many as 39 points in collecting its second win in as many outings.
Damarius Sumral came off the bench to lead Robert Morris-Peoria (0-5) with 15 points and nine rebounds. Myles Coleman scored nine of his 11 points in the first half for the Eagles.
McKendree and Trevecca Nazarene split its 2013-14 season series, with each team winning on the road. The Bearcats notched an 84-80 win in Nashville last Nov. 30, while the Trojans returned the favor with a 68-64 triumph on Dec. 16, 2013 at the Statham Center.
