GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY-PEORIA -- Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, 7 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Lebanon, Ill.
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(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 1)--The McKendree University men's basketball team returns to the court for the first time in 17 days following the holiday break by playing host to Robert Morris University-Peoria on Saturday. The Bearcats and Eagles will tangle at 7 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in what will be McKendree's final non-conference tilt of the 2015-16 season.
The Bearcats last saw game action on Wednesday, Dec. 16 in an 80-54 win at the Statham Center against Salem International University. The victory boosted McKendree to 6-3 overall, marking the fifth consecutive season that the Bearcats took a winning record into the Christmas break.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) posted a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds to help show the way for McKendree.
Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) also had a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bearcats, who outscored Salem International 42-22 in the final 20 minutes of play to pull away for the triumph.
A.J. Schmidt (New Albany, IN/New Albany) notched a career-high with 12 points while dishing out four assists in the effort.
Franklin leads the Bearcats in both scoring and rebounding heading into the second half of the 2015-16 season. Franklin has registered 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per outing while also leading the squad with 32 assists. At 50.5 percent, Franklin is one of two starters who has made at least half his field goal attempts on the year, with the other being Winkelman at 50 percent.
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) is second in scoring for McKendree at 14.1 points per outing, while
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) is next at 13.6 points per game. Winkelman has posted 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest for the Bearcats.
Robert Morris-Peoria brings a 3-9 overall record to Lebanon. The Eagles last played on Wednesday in a 97-85 overtime loss at Oakland City University. RMU-Peoria has dropped its last four games, with its last victory coming in a 104-101 double-overtime decision at Morthland College back on Dec. 12. Joshua Dehaan dropped in a team-high 24 points in the loss at Oakland City while Myles Coleman added 18 points in the contest. Jamor Stewart helped out with 16 points and a team-best five assists against the Oaks.
McKendree and RMU-Peoria last met back on Nov. 26, 2014 at the Statham Center as the Bearcats rolled to an 89-54 win.
Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) led a balanced attack for the Bearcats with 16 points, while
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) and
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods) each connected for 14 points. As a team, McKendree shot 54 percent in the win while holding RMU-Peoria to just 28.8 percent from the floor.
Following Saturday's contest, McKendree will jump back into Great Lakes Valley Conference play with road games at Truman State University on Jan. 7 and at Quincy University on Jan. 9. The Bearcats' first GLVC home tilt will be on Thursday, Jan. 14 when William Jewell College invades the Statham Center.
