(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 14)—The McKendree University men's basketball team put together one of its best defensive efforts of the 2015-16 season in the second half of the Bearcats' 69-58 victory Thursday night at home against William Jewell College.
 
After trailing 37-30 at the intermission, McKendree limited the visiting Cardinals to just 21.6 percent shooting (8-of-37) over the final 20 minutes and held William Jewell without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes while taking the lead for good. The Bearcats collected their first Great Lakes Valley Conference win of the year, moving to 8-5 overall and 1-4 in GLVC play. McKendree will return to action Saturday when it hosts Rockhurst University in another league contest at 3 p.m. inside the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
 
Junior guard Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) and freshman guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) took turns in leading the scoring charge for McKendree. Jackson netted 16 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, while Michael dropped in 16 of his 21 points in the final period. Michael also pulled down a career-best eight rebounds against William Jewell, while Jackson added nine rebounds. Junior forward Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) contributed 10 points on the night as junior guard David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) helped out with eight points (all in the second half) and team-high totals of 10 rebounds and four assists for the Bearcats.
 
William Jewell (5-8, 0-5 GLVC) jumped out of the gates quickly, opening the contest on a 12-2 run over the first three minutes of play. McKendree chipped away at the deficit and pulled within 21-16 on a three-pointer by Jackson with 11:09 remaining in the period. The Cardinals rebounded and scored 10 of the next 11 points to take their largest lead of the contest, 31-17, with 6:45 left until the intermission. The Bearcats clawed their way back into contention over the closing minutes of the period, and a lay-up by sophomore Rob Hudson (Schaumburg, IL/Conant) with three seconds on the clock sent McKendree into the locker room down by a margin of 37-30.
 
The teams traded baskets in the early stages of the second half before William Jewell's Austin Regier scored on a lay-up with 17:02 to play to stretch the Cardinals out to a 42-36 lead. From that point, McKendree took control. The Bearcats began with a run of nine consecutive points, capped by a lay-up from Franklin at the 9:33 mark, to grab the lead for good at 45-42. Following a William Jewell free throw, McKendree ripped off six points in a row to build a 51-43 advantage with 6:19 remaining. That finished off a 15-1 run McKendree burst before the Cardinals' dry spell from the field ended with 6:06 to play.
 
McKendree was able to maintain its lead down the stretch to defeat William Jewell for the second straight season. The Bearcats posted a 79-72 triumph over the Cardinals last February in a game also played at the Statham Center.
 
Darius Tomlin paced William Jewell (5-8, 0-5 GLVC) with 16 points, while Patrick Whelan posted 13 points. Regier added eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds along with three assists for the Cardinals.