Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 13)—The McKendree University men's basketball team closed out non-conference play for the 2014-15 season Tuesday evening with a 75-62 victory Tuesday at home against Salem International University.
The Bearcats relied on a pair of career-high efforts from their senior co-captains in pulling away for the win. Senior forward
Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) netted a career-best 34 points, including 19 in the second half, while senior forward
Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) notched a double-double with 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) also reached double figures in the scoring column with 10 points in the victory.
McKendree improves to 8-4 on the year and finishes with a 7-1 mark against non-conference opponents. The Bearcats will jump back into Great Lakes Valley Conference play by kicking off a five-game road swing Thursday at Lewis University. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Romeoville, Ill.
After holding a 32-30 lead at the intermission, McKendree used a strong shooting effort in the final 20 minutes to pull away for the victory. The Bearcats shot 55.2 percent from the floor (16-of-29) in the second half, hitting 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc in the process. McKendree broke open a close contest thanks in part to a 7-0 run to build a 49-37 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining. Carson sandwiched a pair of baskets around a three-pointer from junior forward
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) during the spurt.
In the first half, there were five ties and five lead changes as Salem International controlled the tempo in the early moments of the game. The Tigers held a 10-4 advantage heading into the first media timeout before McKendree reeled off eight consecutive points to take a 12-10 lead midway through the period. Four different players scored for the Bearcats in the run, including a three-pointer from junior guard
A.J. Schmidt (New Albany, IN/New Albany) that pushed the hosts to the lead.
The teams traded leads until the closing moments of the half, when Carson sank a pair of free throws and Jackson scored on a lay-up to give McKendree its two-point lead at the intermission. In addition to his career-high 34 points, Carson set a new personal mark by hitting 10 free throws on the night.
Murphy added eight rebounds as the Bearcats held a 52-32 edge on the boards against Salem International. McKendree also outscored the Tigers in the paint by an 18-9 margin.
Cortney Pitts paced Salem International (2-11) with 19 points, while Tyler Bell chipped in with 12 points. Both Pitts and Bell each came up with three steals for the Tigers.
