VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 10)—The McKendree University men's basketball team led from start to finish in posting a 92-70 victory Saturday night at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center against Trevecca Nazarene University.
 
The Bearcats built a seven-point lead at the half, but pulled away in the final 20 minutes by shooting 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the floor to collect their second consecutive win. McKendree moves back to the .500 mark at 4-4 on the year and will close out the first half of its 2016-17 season Wednesday night at home against Salem International University. Tip-off for the non-conference tilt is set for 7 p.m.
 
Senior guard Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) was one of several McKendree players to have a big offensive night with a game-high 27 points. Freshman center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) notched a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Junior guard Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) netted 17 of his 19 points in the second half for the Bearcats, while senior forward Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) chipped in with 16 points. Both Jackson and Winkelman connected on four three-pointers against the Trojans.
 
McKendree raced to a 14-4 lead over the first 4 ½ minutes of play as Jackson drilled a pair of three-pointers and accounted for eight points during the opening burst. The Bearcats continued to add to the margin and took their largest lead of the half at 27-12 following a steal at midcourt by junior guard Gianni Otto (Remseck, Germany/Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium) and dunk by Blanks with 10:37 left in the first half. Otto finished the night with a game-high six assists for the Bearcats.
 
Trevecca Nazarene (2-8) began to chip away at the deficit, beginning with an 8-3 spurt to get back within single digits at 31-22. The Trojans then closed the half by scoring six of the final eight points of the period to pull within 42-35 at the intermission.
 
In the second half, McKendree looked to put some distance between itself and Trevecca Nazarene, stretching its margin to 14 points on four different occasions over the first eight minutes of the period. The Trojans looked to put together one more run, slashing the deficit to 72-64 with just under eight minutes on the clock.
 
From there, McKendree was able to take control. The Bearcats started with a 12-2 run to push its lead back to 84-66 at the 4:02 mark. Blanks accounted for six points over the stretch, while Jackson added four more. That 12-2 run was part of a 20-6 outburst to close the contest for McKendree. The Bearcats limited Trevecca Nazarene to just three field goals over the final eight minutes of action.
 
Saturday's win was able to avenge a 74-70 loss at Trevecca Nazarene back on Nov. 26. This also marks the fifth consecutive year that the Bearcats and Trojans split their non-conference series. It is the first time since the 2012-13 campaign that both teams won on their home floor in the same season.
 
In two games against Trevecca Nazarene this season, Gerling recorded 53 points and 36 rebounds. He posted season-highs of 33 points and 22 rebounds during the first meeting between the two squads in Nashville, Tenn.
 
Donovan Donaldson scored a team-high 20 points to lead Trevecca Nazarene. Percy Blade connected for 19 points while Sebastian Petty came off the bench to pull down a team-leading seven rebounds for the Trojans.