(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 18)—The McKendree University men's basketball team was handed a 95-65 defeat Thursday evening at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center by Bellarmine University, the No. 11-ranked team in NCAA Division II.
The visiting Knights set a torrid pace from the field throughout the game, shooting 57.6 percent for the contest (38-of-66) on its way to completing the season sweep against the Bearcats. McKendree moves to 12-12 on the year and is now 5-11 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats will play host to the University of Southern Indiana on Saturday, with tip-off set for 3 p.m. Saturday's game will also mark Senior Day, and the team will honor its four senior players –
Brandon Book (Albers, IL/Breese Central),
John Murphy (Peoria, IL/Richwoods),
David Newton (Rochelle, IL/Rochelle) and
A.J. Schmidt (New Albany, IN/New Albany) – in a special pre-game ceremony.
Junior forward
Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) led McKendree with 19 points and six rebounds against Bellarmine. Junior guard
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) contributed 17 points in the contest, while junior guard
Kyle Yates (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) dished out a team-leading four assists for the Bearcats. Winkelman was also the leading scorer in the first meeting between the two teams back on Dec. 5 in Louisville, Ky. Winkelman had 12 points in the Knights' 78-53 win.
Bellarmine scored 10 of the first 12 points of the night and extended its margin to 12 points in the first eight minutes of play before McKendree battled back. The Bearcats used an 11-2 run over a three-minute span to pull within 23-20 with 9:19 left until halftime. Franklin scored the last five points during the burst for McKendree which was capped by an offensive rebound, basket and free throw.
A three-pointer by Winkelman moments later trimmed the Knights' lead to 25-23 at the 7:30 mark. The teams then exchanged baskets before Bellarmine took control in the closing minutes of the half. The Knights outscored the Bearcats 10-2 over the final three minutes to take a 47-32 lead into the locker room.
In the opening moments of the second half, Bellarmine continued its run, netting 12 of the first 14 points of the period to stretch its advantage to 59-34 with 15:35 remaining. The Knights led by as many as 33 points in collecting their third straight victory and seventh in their last eight outings.
Bellarmine held a 42-19 edge in bench scoring against McKendree. Nick Fredrick posted a team-high 14 points in a reserve role to lead a balanced attack for the Knights. George Suggs, Al Davis and Rusty Troutman each netted 13 points the effort, while Adam Eberhard pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.
