LISTEN LIVE (BEARCAT SPORTS NETWORK)

WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE -- LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

LEWIS -- LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 20)—The McKendree University men's basketball team will begin its sprint to the finish line for the 2013-14 regular season by heading north for games Thursday at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Saturday at Lewis University.
 
Both games can be heard live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.mckbearcts.com/listenlive. Scott Cummings will have the play-by-play beginning with a 10-minute pre-game show. Thursday's game at Wisconsin-Parkside is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off while the Lewis contest will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Both McKendree opponents enter the weekend ranked in the latest NABC/NCAA Division II poll, as Wisconsin-Parkside sits at No. 25, while Lewis holds the No. 23 spot in the ratings.
 
McKendree will play the final three games of the regular season away from the friendly confines of the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, where the Bearcats were 8-7 on the year. Following this weekend's road trip, McKendree will close out the schedule on Feb. 27 at the University of Illinois Springfield.
 
The Bearcats closed out the home portion of their schedule Monday with a make-up contest against Maryville University. McKendree led by seven points at the half, but could not hold off a late surge by the visiting Saints in a 75-72 loss. The Bearcats had a chance to force overtime in the closing seconds, but senior guard Clinton Happe (Evansville, IN/F.J. Reitz) was just off the mark with a 21-foot jumper from the corner as the buzzer sounded.
 
The loss sent the Bearcats to 9-14 on the year and 3-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference race. McKendree is still in the hunt for one of 12 GLVC Tournament berths. The top four teams in each division, along with four wild-card teams, advance to the conference post-season event, which begins on Sunday, March 2.
 
Four of the five starters for McKendree are averaging in double figures, led by Happes 16.3 points per game. Junior guard Mike DiGregorio (Morton Grove, IL/Niles Notre Dame) is close behind at 15.6 points per outing. Both Happe and DiGregorio are averaging 15.5 points per game in GLVC play this season. The Bearcats' other double-digit scorers this season are junior forwards Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) (11.8 PPG) and Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) (10.1 PPG).
 
As a team, McKendree continues to crash the boards as it sits second in the GLVC in rebounding at nearly 37 rebounds per contest. The Bearcats have two of the league's top 10 rebounders in junior forward Arthur Williams (Cairo, IL/Cairo) (8.0 RPG) and Holmes (7.7 RPG).
 
ABOUT WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE; The Rangers enter play with an overall record of 19-5, while they are 12-3 in the GLVC. Wisconsin-Parkside led or held a share of the GLVC East Division lead through last week, when they dropped games at Drury University and Missouri S & T.
 
Junior forward Zygimantas Riauka leads a balanced scoring attack for the Rangers at 16 points per game. Riauka also paces the squad with 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting better than 63 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Andy Mazurczak has dished out a team-leading 128 assists for UWP this season.
 
McKendree battled Wisconsin-Parkside down to the wire in the first meeting of the year between the two teams on Jan.18 in Lebanon before the Rangers escaped with a 75-71 triumph. Happe led all scorers with 20 points to pace the Bearcats, while DiGregorio added 17 markers. Riauka and Mazurczak shared team-high scoring honors for UWP with 16 points.
 
The Bearcats are still in search of their first win in the all-time series against Wisconsin-Parkside. The Rangers are 4-0 versus McKendree.
 
ABOUT LEWIS: The Flyers boast a 19-4 overall record and 11-4 conference slate prior to their Thursday home game with Illinois Springfield. Lewis had a four-game win streak snapped on Saturday with a 56-53 loss at No. 2-ranked Drury in a battle of NCAA top 25 squads. The Flyers enter this weekend's play with a perfect 10-0 record at Carey Arena.
 
Junior guard Ryan Jackson leads the offense for Lewis, averaging 17.5 points per outing. Jackson also leads the team with 26 steals and is shooting nearly 80 percent from the free throw line. Junior forward Julian Lewis is second on the Flyers' squad in scoring at 14.3 points a game and leads the way with 8.2 rebounds per contest.
 
McKendree is 1-4 against Lewis during the Harry Statham era (1966 to present). Lewis has won the last four meetings, with the Bearcats' lone win in the series coming in a 93-72 triumph during the 1975-76 season. Lewis rallied in the second half for an 85-78 win over McKendree in this season's first meeting back on Jan. 16 at the Statham Center. Williams poured in 21 points to lead the Bearcats, while DiGregorio netted 16 points and Holmes notched a double-double with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Junior guard Jeff Jarosz led the Flyers with 24 points, while Julian Lewis added 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.