GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. CENTRAL CHRISTIAN -- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, 7 p.m. -- Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Lebanon, Ill.
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McKENDREE vs. TREVECCA NAZARENE -- Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, 7 p.m. -- Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Lebanon, Ill.
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(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 8)--The McKendree University men's basketball team begins a three-game home stand prior to the holiday break with a pair of games in the coming week. The Bearcats will open the home stand against Central Christian College on Wednesday before wrapping up the week at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center on Saturday versus Trevecca Nazarene University. Both games will tip at 7 p.m.
McKendree tipped off its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule last week with road contests at the University of Southern Indiana and Bellarmine University. The Bearcats dropped both games, opening with an 89-61 loss at Southern Indiana before a 78-53 setback on Saturday at Bellarmine. The losses came after McKendree opened the year with four consecutive victories. The Bearcats will bring a 4-2 overall record and an 0-2 GLVC mark into the week's action.
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) paced McKendree with 17 points, six rebounds and two assists in the loss at Southern Indiana. The host Screaming Eagles shot 50 percent from the field in opening a 12-point halftime lead and stretching the margin to as many as 29 points in the effort. McKendree got off to a strong start in the Saturday game at Bellarmine, holding the lead for most of the first half. The Bearcats held a 22-20 advantage before the Knights reeled off 19 consecutive points over the final 5:40 of the period to take a 39-22 lead at the intermission.
Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) led the Bearcats' balanced attack with 12 points, while
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) connected for 11 points. Both Winkelman and Franklin pulled down a team-best eight rebounds at Bellarmine.
Through the first six games of the 2015-16 season, Jackson leads McKendree in scoring at 15.3 points per outing. At 50 percent, Jackson is one of two regulars who is shooting at least 50 percent from the field. The other is Winkelman, who has hit a team-best 52.6 percent of his attempts from the floor.
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) is second on the squad in scoring at 14.2 points a game, and is followed by Franklin at 13.7 points per contest and Winkelman at 12.8 points a game. Winkelman also leads the Bearcats in rebounding at 5.7 caroms per game. Franklin paces the squad with 22 assists, while Book has team-high totals of seven steals and five blocked shots.
Central Christian is 5-2 overall this season and 3-1 in the Midwest Christian College Conference. The Saints dropped a 101-60 exhibition contest on Monday at the University of the Ozarks. Central Christian split a pair of conference games at home over the weekend, defeating Manhattan Christian College 86-69 on Friday before suffering a 100-89 defeat at the hands of Barclay College on Saturday.
Shomari Wellington heads a group of five Central Christian players averaging in double figures at 15.4 points per contest. DuJuan Henderson is close behind at 15.1 points a game, followed by Galeel Lee at 14.1 points an outing. Three different Saints are pulling down at least nine rebounds per night, including Lee (9.9 RPG) and Wellington (9.8 RPG).
McKendree and Central Christian met just over a year ago -- Dec. 6, 2014 -- at the Statham Center, with the Bearcats rolling to a 96-44 win over the Saints.
Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) had 19 points and five assists in the win for McKendree as
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) contributed 15 points and four assists.
Saturday's game will mark the second meeting between McKendree and Trevecca Nazarene in the last two weeks. On Nov. 28 in Nashville, the Bearcats built a 14-point lead in the second half and held off a late charge from the Trojans to post an 86-80 win.
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) registered 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to show the way for McKendree.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) chipped in with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, while
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) matched Book with 11 rebounds. Byron Sanford (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Matt Gamberoni (20 points, 10 rebounds) each notched a double-double in the effort for Trevecca Nazarene.
The Trojans are 2-6 on the season after dropping a 98-67 decision at Clayton State University on Monday. Mac Walden paced the Trojans with 24 points, while Jalen Palm contributed 15 points. Sanford enters Saturday's game at McKendree as the leading scorer (17.3 PPG) and rebounder (7.9 RPG) on the season for Trevecca Nazarene. Walden is next at 12.1 points per outing, while Gamberoni has posted 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing for the Trojans.
Following the Trevecca Nazarene game, the Bearcats will have just one more game prior to the holiday break. McKendree will host Salem International University in another non-conference tilt on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Statham Center.
