GAME DAY LINKS -- 
McKENDREE vs. ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD -- Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 -- 7:30 p.m. -- Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Lebanon, Ill.
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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 25)--It will be a winner-take-all contest to close out the 2014-15 regular season for the McKendree University men's basketball team Thursday evening at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, and a potential piece of history for the Bearcats' program. 

The Bearcats will play host to the University of Illinois Springfield in the regular-season finale Thursday at 7:30 p.m. McKendree and UIS are currently 4-13 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings, and both teams are tied for the 12th and final spot in the league. Thursday's winner will claim the final spot in the upcoming GLVC Tournament, which begins on Sunday with four games at campus sites. Pairings and game times will be announced Friday by the GLVC office.

A win by McKendree would give the Bearcats their first-ever berth in the GLVC Tournament. McKendree joined the league prior to the 2012-13 season while completing its transition to NCAA Division II membership. A victory would also mean a 41st trip to the post-season under the guidance of head coach Harry Statham, who is wrapping up his 49th season at the helm of the Bearcats' program. 

McKendree brings an 11-14 overall record into Thursday's contest. The Bearcats are looking to rebound from a 98-70 loss Saturday at home against Lewis University. Four McKendree players scored in double figures in the tilt, led by 17 points from senior forward Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall). Senior forward Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) added 13 points, while sophomore forward Brian Koch (Mt. Vernon, IN/Mt. Vernon) came off the bench to net 11 points. Junior guard A.J. Schmidt (New Albany, IN/New Albany) matched a career-high by dropping in 10 points against the Flyers. Holmes paced McKendree with nine rebounds as junior forward John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) dished out a career-best seven assists on the day.

Carson leads McKendree in scoring at 15.5 points per game. He continues to rank second in the GLVC in free throw percentage at 88.5 percent. Carson also paces the team with 26 steals and 22 blocked shots. Holmes is averaging 13.6 points an outing while leading the Bearcats at 7.9 rebounds a game. That figure ranks fifth among all GLVC players. Holmes is also sixth in the conference in field goal percentage at 59.5 percent. Also averaging in double figures for McKendree are junior forward Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) (15.2 PPG) and sophomore guard Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) (13.2 PPG). Schmidt has dished out a team-high 66 assists entering Thursday's game. 

Illinois Springfield brings a 10-15 overall record to Lebanon. The Prairie Stars nearly registered an upset of then No. 12-Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Rangers in overtime by a score of 83-82. Junior forward Jamall Millison led the attack for UIS with 19 points, while sophomore guard Mark Weems came off the bench to add 18 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Senior center Dylan Sparkman chipped in with 17 points and six rebounds in the contest. 

Millison is the Prairie Stars' leading scorer at 14.2 points per game. He has made a team-leading 69 three-point field goals, shooting nearly 41 percent from beyond the arc. Sparkman has posted 11 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per outing while shooting just over 55 percent from the field. Weems is the only other UIS player averaging in double figures at 11 points a game. Head coach Bill Walker, a longtime assistant coach at several levels of college basketball, is in his first season as the Prairie Stars' head coach. 

McKendree and Illinois Springfield met for the first time this season back on Jan. 19 in Springfield. The teams battled to a 29-29 halftime tie before the host Prairie Stars pulled away late to register a 67-63 win over the Bearcats. Jackson led a balanced attack for McKendree with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Murphy connected for 15 points, while Holmes added 13 points and five rebounds. Carson also reached double figures in the scoring column for the Bearcats with 10 points. Millison posted a game-high 23 points to show the way for UIS, while Sparkman finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. 

Although the UIS program has only been around since the 2000-01 season, Thursday's game will mark the 22nd meeting on the basketball court between the two programs. McKendree holds a 12-9 advantage over Illinois Springfield, including an 8-6 mark at the Statham Center. The Bearcats won the last contest played between the two programs in Lebanon, a 102-100 overtime triumph back on Jan. 20, 2014. McKendree overcame a 17-point deficit with just under 10 minutes left in regulation before rallying for the GLVC victory.