GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD -- Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 24)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will bring its five-game home stand -- as well as the 2015-16 regular-season schedule -- to its conclusion Thursday evening at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center by hosting the University of Illinois Springfield. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Prairie Stars is set for 7:30 p.m.

Following Thursday night's contest, McKendree will hold a special post-game ceremony to honor men's basketball coach Harry Statham for the numerous milestones reached by the Bearcats' mentor in 2015-16. Statham, who is in his 50th season as the head coach at his alma mater, tied and surpassed former University of Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt to become the all-time wins leader in college basketball history at the four-year level. He tied Summitt when the Bearcats knocked off then-No. 21 Wisconsin-Parkside at home on Jan. 28, 92-85. Then on Feb. 6 in St. Louis, Statham moved into sole possession of the top spot when the Bearcats defeated Maryville, 92-84. Five days after that, Statham became the first four-year college basketball coach with 1,100 career wins when McKendree rallied to post a 108-105 overtime win against MIssouri S&T. 

McKendree enters Thursday's contest against Illinois Springfield with a season record of 12-13, while Illinois Springfield brings an 11-16 record to Lebanon. Both teams remain in the thick of the hunt for a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament bid. The GLVC Tournament tips off on Sunday with four games at campus sites. Seeds five through eight will host the Sunday afternoon contests, with the winners joining the top four overall seeds based (based on regular-season play) at the tournament final site inside Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. from March 3-6. 

The Bearcats hosted No. 11 Bellarmine University and the University of Southern Indiana during the final full weekend of regular-season play. The Knights came away with a 95-65 win, while the Screaming Eagles shot their way past McKendree, 101-89. In the USI contest, both teams were hot from the field as the Bearcats hit 56.9 percent of their field goal attempts, while USI made 54.9 percent of its tries on the day. Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) led the Bearcats with a game-high 28 points against Southern Indiana, while David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) chipped in with 24 points and nine rebounds. 

Franklin has maintained the scoring lead in the GLVC entering Thursday's regular-season finale against UIS. Franklin is averaging 20.9 points per game through 25 contests, and is one of just three players in the league posting more than 20 points per outing. He is looking to become the first Bearcat player to win a conference scoring title since Eric Palm won the American Midwest Conference crown during his senior year in 2008-09. Franklin is also fourth in the conference in rebounding as he is pulling down eight boards a game. Michael has jumped up to fourth in the GLVC in free throw percentage, connecting on 87 percent of his tries from the charity stripe. 

In all, four McKendree regulars are scoring in double figures this season. Franklin leads the way, followed by Michael (14.9 PPG), Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) (13.6 PPG) and Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) (10.0 PPG). In addition to leading the Bearcats in rebounding, Franklin has also dished out a team-best 90 assists. Michael tops all McKendree players with 21 steals, while David Newton (Rochelle, IL/Rochelle) (pictured above) has blocked a team-high 21 shots. Newton also paces the team in field goal percentage, hitting 63.8 percent of his tries from the floor. 

ABOUT ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD
The Prairie Stars posted a split in their final two home games of the regular season, holding off Southern Indiana in overtime last Thursday, 86-81 before dropping a 78-50 decision to Bellarmine. Jamall Millison leads UIS in scoring this season, averaging 15.1 points per game. Davi Austin is the only other Prairie Star player averaging in double figures in the scoring column at 11.4 points per outing. Austin, who is shooting nearly 54 percent from the field, also paces the team with 101 assists and 50 steals. J.J. Cravatta has proven to be an effective shooter for UIS, making 91.4 percent of his free throw attempts and 43.2 percent of his tries from three-point range.

The teams battled to the finish in their first meeting this season, an 86-84 McKendree win up in Springfield, Ill., on Jan. 18. David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) and Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) shared team-high scoring honors for the Bearcats with 21 points, while Franklin pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds. Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) added 16 points while Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) chipped in with 13 points. Davi Austin paced the Prairie Stars with a game-high 24 points, while Richard Freeman posted 17 points and nine rebounds. 

McKendree and Illinois Springfield have met 23 other times on the basketball court, with the Bearcats holding a 13-10 edge in the all-time series against the Prairie Stars. At the Statham Center, McKendree is 8-7 versus UIS. The teams also met in the 2014-15 regular-season finale at the Statham Center, with the Prairie Stars edging the Bearcats 69-67 on a basket by Austin with 2.2 seconds on the clock.