GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at TRUMAN STATE -- Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Pershing Arena, Kirksville, Mo.
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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
TRUMAN STATE SEASON STATISTICS

McKENDREE at QUINCY -- Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, 3:15 p.m.
Pepsi Arena, Quincy, Ill.
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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
QUINCY SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 6)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference games this weekend. The Bearcats will start the road swing in Kirksville, Mo., for a Thursday evening battle at Truman State University before wrapping up the trip Saturday afternoon at Quincy University. 

McKendree closed out its 2015-16 non-conference schedule Saturday evening with a 79-70 home win over Robert Morris University-Peoria. David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) poured in a career-high 35 points -- 23 of which came in the first half -- to help the Bearcats improve to 7-3 overall this season. Franklin also added eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots in the effort. Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) chipped in with 18 points against the Eagles. McKendree finished with a 7-1 record against non-conference foes this season. 

Thanks in part to his 35-point outburst on Saturday, Franklin has moved into the top five among GLVC players in scoring. Franklin enters the weekend averaging 18.7 points per contest. He is also among the league's top 10 in rebounding at 6.9 boards per outing. In addition, Franklin leads McKendree in field goal percentage (.545) and assists (35). Jackson is next in the scoring column for the Bearcats, averaging 14.5 points per game. Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) is second on the team in rebounding at 6.1 rebounds a game while sitting fourth on the squad in scoring at 10.5 PPG. 

The Bearcats return to GLVC play after dropping its first two league games of the season in early December at the University of Southern Indiana and Bellarmine University. McKendree will make its GLVC home debut next week by hosting William Jewell College on Jan. 14 before Rockhurst University comes to the Harry M. Statham Sports Center two days later. 

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Truman State is 10-3 on the season and 2-1 in the GLVC West Division. The Bulldogs are riding a six-game win streak heading into Thursday night's match-up against McKendree. Truman State uses a balanced scoring attack to average 84.2 points per game, which is third in the conference. The team has four players averaging in double figures, and six individuals scoring at least nine points per outing. Junior forward Connor Erickson shows the way in the scoring column at 12.6 PPG, and is followed closely by junior guard Cory Myers at 12.5 PPG. Erickson is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and leads the Bulldogs with 11 blocked shots. Myers paces Truman State with 46 assists and 26 steals through 13 games, and ranks among team leaders in free throw percentage at .841. 

Thursday's game will mark the third meeting all-time between McKendree and Truman State. The Bulldogs have won both contests, including last year's 75-71 decision at the Statham Center on Jan. 8, 2015. Logan Carson (DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin) scored a team-high 27 points in the outing for McKendree. 

ABOUT THE HAWKS
Quincy brings an 8-4 season record and a 2-1 GLVC mark into its Thursday meeting at home with the University of Illinois Springfield. The Hawks have won each of their last three outings, including both games in the QU Holiday Classic prior to the Christmas break. Quincy -- like Truman State -- can put points on the scoreboard as they rank second in the league at 84.4 PPG. The Hawks also rank among conference leaders in blocked shots and assists. Junior forward Joseph Tagarelli leads the team in scoring at 16.9 PPG while connecting on just over 56 percent of his shots from the floor. Junior forward Evan McGaughey is next at 12.8 PPG and also leads the Hawks in rebounding at 6.5 RPG. McGaughey leads Quincy in shooting, making 57.6 percent of his attempts on the year and also paces the team with 17 blocks. Junior guard Herm Senor has dished out a team-leading 41 assists. 

Although it sports a 4-15 all-time record against Quincy since Harry Statham became the Bearcats' head coach in 1976-77, McKendree has won two of the three meetings against the Hawks since the Bearcats joined the GLVC. In the last battle between the two squads on Jan. 10, 2015 at the Statham Center, McKendree edged Quincy by a margin of 88-84. Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central) showed the way for the Bearcats with 29 points and three blocked shots as Matt Holmes (Houston, TX/Marshall) posted 14 points and seven rebounds while Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) contributed 13 points and a team-best nine rebounds in the win. McGaughey netted a team-high 19 points for the Hawks.