GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. CENTRAL CHRISTIAN (Mo.) -- WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network) | LIVE STATS
(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 5) -- The McKendree University men's basketball team will open up a three-game home stand on Saturday afternoon with a non-conference game against Central Christian College out of Moberly, Mo. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
McKendree is undefeated through three games in the 2014-15 season. The Bearcats ran their early-season win streak to three games last Saturday with a 90-81 road victory at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. Senior co-captains
Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) and
Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) led the way for McKendree as Holmes dropped a game-high 27 points and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, while Carson added 20 points and seven rebounds in the win. Carson also dished out a team-high six assists as the Bearcats shot 56.1 percent from the field for the game (32-of-57), including a 61-percent clip in the second half (14-of-23). Junior forward
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) added 11 points while senior forward
Arthur Williams (Cairo, IL/Cairo) came off the bench to post 10 points and five rebounds.
This is the first time since the 2009-10 season that McKendree has opened regular-season play with a 3-0 mark. That season, the Bearcats reeled off five consecutive victories to open the year, with the fifth win resulting in Coach
Harry Statham's 1,000th career triumph.
Through its first three games, McKendree is shooting 53.4 percent from the field, which is ranked 11th among all NCAA Division II programs. The Bearcats have also allowed their opponents just 28.6 percent shooting from three-point range, a figure that leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference and is 31st nationally. Individually, Holmes is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage at 75 percent, while Book is 17th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at .500.
Central Christian has a season record of 3-8. The Saints are members of the Midwest Christian College Conference, where they sport a 2-1 record in league play. Head coach Jack Defreitas' team is led by junior forward Victor Dean, who averages team-high totals of 20.6 points and 17 rebounds per contest. Dean is shooting just under 52 percent from the field through 11 games in 2014-15. Sophomore guard Adam Rabke is the only other Central Christian player scoring in double figures this year at 13 points per outing.
McKendree last faced Central Christian in the Bearcats' 2013-14 season opener. On Nov. 8, 2013, McKendree rolled to a 102-54 win over the Saints. Holmes led the way for the Bearcats with 20 points, while
Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) posted 19 points in the effort.
Arthur Williams (Cairo, IL/Cairo) contributed eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds for McKendree, which forced 34 turnovers by Central Christian in the contest.
Happe will be returning to the Statham Center prior to Saturday's game to receive the 2014 Nate Clay Memorial Award. Happe is the 36th person to earn the award, which is presented to one McKendree senior from the previous year's squad who exemplifies the courage, determination and inspiration shown by former Bearcat player Nate Clay.
The Bearcats' home stand will continue on Wednesday, Dec. 10 when Greenville College comes to Lebanon for a 7 p.m. tip. McKendree will then host Trevecca Nazarene a week from Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the Statham Center.
