GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. CROWLEY'S RIDGE -- Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, 7 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
CROWLEY'S RIDGE SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 18)--The McKendree University men's basketball team bounces back into its regular-season schedule Saturday evening by taking on Crowley's Ridge College in non-conference play. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. The game will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network (www.glvcsn.com/mckendree), with Kent Zimmernan providing the call.
The Bearcats closed out their 2016-17 exhibition slate Tuesday night with a 112-65 loss at the University of Illinois. Sophomore guard
Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) -- playing in the same facility where his father Tom starred for the Fighting Illini for four years -- led all scorers with 25 points as McKendree split its two exhibition tilts this season. Back on Nov. 5, the Bearcats registered a 91-84 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Junior guard
Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) came off the bench to add 17 points at Illinois, while freshman center
Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) recorded a double-double with 13 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
McKendree is 1-0 in the regular-season portion of its schedule so far, opening with a 97-57 triumph over Robert Morris University-Springfield. Blanks netted a game-high 27 points against the Eagles, while senior guard
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) helped out with 16 points. Five different players scored in double figures for the Bearcats, who led 46-15 at the half.
Crowley's Ridge College is a new opponent on the Bearcats' schedule this season. The Pioneers are new members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and bring a 1-5 overall record to Lebanon. Crowley's Ridge last played on Tuesday, when it was defeated at home by Williams Baptist College, 103-92. Hunter Turner posted a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds for the Pioneers, while Cade Niswonger added 24 points in the effort. Crowley's Ridge will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
Saturday's contest will begin a stretch of nine home games in a 10-game span for McKendree. The lone road match-up during that span will be on Nov. 26 at Trevecca Nazarene University.
