Box Score (INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Jan. 22)—The McKendree University men's basketball team fell in a Great Lakes Valley Road contest Thursday night at the hands of the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, the University of Indianapolis, by a score of 87-56.
The host Greyhounds, who took over the top spot in the nation when the latest rankings were released Tuesday afternoon, used a 22-5 run that bridged the end of the first half and the beginning of the second period to pull away for the victory. With the loss, McKendree slips to 8-8 on the year and 1-7 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will close out a season-high five-game road trip on Saturday with another conference tilt at Saint Joseph's College. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Rensselaer, Ind.
Sophomore guard
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) dropped in a career-high 21 points and added a team-best six rebounds to pace McKendree. Senior forward
Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) connected for 16 points, while senior forward
Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) contributed 13 points and five rebounds for the Bearcats. Junior guard
A.J. Schmidt (New Albany, IN/New Albany) dished out a team-high four assists in the contest for McKendree.
Jackson and Carson combined to score the first 13 points of the game as McKendree controlled the tempo in the opening minutes. Indianapolis eventually pulled in front midway through the first half before the Bearcats chipped away at the deficit and pulled within 21-20 on a three-pointer back Jackson with 5:42 left until halftime. The Greyhounds responded with a 10-2 run to stretch its lead out to 31-22 with less than four minutes remaining in the period.
A three-pointer from Carson at the 2:37 mark helped McKendree rally within 31-27 before Indianapolis closed the half on a 10-1 run to take a 41-28 lead into the locker room. The Greyhounds then used a fast start in the second half to take control. Indianapolis outscored McKendree 12-5 over the first four minutes of the period to extend its margin to 53-32. They Greyhounds pushed their lead to as many as 33 points in moving to 16-0 overall and 8-0 in the GLVC.
Joe Lawson led Indianapolis with 21 points, while Brennan McElroy added 14 points, six rebounds and four steals in the contest. Jordan Loyd posted 11 points, and Dai-Jon Parker notched 10 points and six assists in the effort for the Greyhounds.
