(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 30)—The McKendree University men's basketball team returned from the holiday break Friday night by posting a 96-74 victory at home against Robert Morris University-Peoria.
 
Making his 2016-17 season debut, senior guard David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) notched a double-double with game-high totals of 29 points and 14 rebounds to lead a second-half surge for the Bearcats. McKendree earned its fourth consecutive victory to improve to 6-4 on the year. Franklin also dished out six assists to match senior guard Kyle Yates (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) in the effort. The 14 rebounds collected by Franklin on Friday night also marks a career-high for the senior tri-captain.
 
Senior guard Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) added 23 points and four assists for McKendree. Sophomore guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) contributed 13 points and four assists while junior guard Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) came off the bench to post 12 points. Freshman center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) also reached double figures in the scoring column for the Bearcats with 10 points while hauling in eight rebounds.
 
Franklin led the Great Lakes Valley Conference in scoring last season at 21.7 points per game. He was also third in the league in rebounding at 8.1 per outing. He recorded a conference-best eight double-doubles a year ago.
 
McKendree trailed 42-41 at the intermission but used a 9-2 run at the outset of the second half to take the lead for good. The Bearcats shot 57.1 percent (20-of-35) over the final 20 minutes to pull away in its final non-conference game of the season. McKendree also held advantages of 43-32 in rebounding and 21-5 in second-chance points against the Eagles.
 
Robert Morris-Peoria (2-9) scored the first basket of the second half before McKendree surged in front to stay. Michael drilled a three-pointer and jumper to open the decisive run before baskets by Jackson and Gerling pushed the Bearcats ahead at 50-44 with 16:08 remaining. The Eagles trimmed the deficit to three points before a three-pointer from Franklin ignited an 11-2 burst that gave McKendree a double-digit lead at 65-53 with just under 11 minutes to play.
 
Franklin scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half, while Jackson netted 13 and Michael had 11 in the period. The Bearcats also controlled the boards in the final 20 minutes, outrebounding Robert Morris-Peoria by a 22-11 margin.
 
In the first half, McKendree raced to a 12-4 lead before the visiting Eagles chipped away at the deficit. Robert Morris-Peoria used a run of six consecutive points to pull within 17-16 midway through the period. Later in the half, the Eagles scored seven consecutive points to pull even at 38-38 with less than two minutes left until halftime, then scored on its final possession of the half to grab its 42-41 lead at the break.
 
Jamor Stewart, Reggie Davis and Kevin Ogunjimi each scored 15 points to lead a balanced offensive attack for Robert Morris-Springfield. Jake Stephens added 12 points, while Markus Johnson led the Eagles with eigh rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots.