GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. INDIANAPOLIS -- Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
INDIANAPOLIS GAME NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS SEASON STATISTICS
McKENDREE vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S -- Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, 3:30 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
SAINT JOSEPH'S SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 19)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will conclude a stretch of three games in five days when it hosts the University of Indianapolis Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., before taking on Saint Joseph's College Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Both games from the Harry M. Statham Sports Center will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network at
www.glvcsn.com/mckendree.
McKendree was nipped in the closing minutes Monday evening at home by the University of Illinois Springfield, 92-89. The Bearcats led for most of the contest before the visiting Prairie Stars rallied in the final five minutes to come away with the win. McKendree now sits at 6-8 overall and 0-6 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
Against Illinois Springfield,
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) was just one point shy of his career-high as he knocked down 28 points in the effort.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) helped out with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while
Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) added 13 points for the Bearcats.
Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) and
Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) each connected for 11 points against the Prairie Stars, giving McKendree five players in double figures in the contest.
Jackson is rapidly closing in on the Bearcats' 1,000-point club. Thanks to his 28-point outburst against UIS, Jackson has pushed his career total to 973 points. He needs 27 points to become the 50th member of the Bearcats' 1,000-point fraternity. Clinton Happe was the last McKendree player to hit the 1,000-point mark for McKendree back on Jan. 20, 2014.
As a team, McKendree ranks fifth in NCAA Division II in fewest fouls. The Bearcats have committed 217 fouls on the year, which is an average of 15.5 per game. McKendree is also 19th in Division II in defensive rebounds per game at 28.93 RPG. Individually,
Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) is 10th among all NCAA Division II players in free throw percentage at .922.
Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) is 29th in field goal percentage, connecting on 60 percent of his tries from the floor.
In the latest GLVC statistical rankings,
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) is tied for fifth in the league in scoring at 17.4 PPG, while Blanks is second in free throw percentage. Gerling sits in the top 10 in the GLVC in four different categories, including rebounding (8.9 RPG), offensive rebounds (2.79 RPG), defensive rebounds (6.07 RPG) and field goal percentage.
Following the conclusion of this weekend's action, McKendree will have just two more regular-season home contests at the Statham Center in 2016-17. The Bearcats will host Maryville University on Feb. 2 before taking on the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Senior Day, which is set for Feb. 4.
ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS
The Greyhounds own a season record of 8-7, while they are 5-2 in GLVC play. Indianapolis has won its last five outings -- all in league play -- and six of their last seven contests. The Greyhounds are coming off a 98-75 victory on Monday over Saint Joseph's in a game played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which is the home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. Five different players scored in double figures for UIndy, including a team-high 19 points each from Alex Etherington and Ajay Lawton. Eric Davidson leads a balanced attack for the Greyhounds at 15.6 points per game. Jesse Kempson has contributed 14.9 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per outing. Davidson is among the GLVC's top shooters from the perimeter, connecting on 46.7 percent of his three-point tries while hitting 90.2 percent at the free throw line. Jimmy King has dished out a team-best 52 assists through 15 games for UIndy.
McKendree and Indianapolis staged a nail-biter in the 2015-16 meeting between the two programs. The Bearcats led for more than 35 minutes of action before a long-distance three-point field goal at the buzzer lifted the Greyhounds to a 78-75 win.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) registered 25 points, seven rebounds and four assist to pace McKendree.
Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) added 17 points while
Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) contributed 16 points for the Bearcats.
ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S
The Pumas hold a season record of 8-9 and a 2-5 mark in the GLVC entering their game Thursday night at Illinois Springfield. Saint Joseph's has played to a split of its last four games, including conference victories against the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Missouri S&T. In the Pumas' loss to Indianapolis on Monday night, C.J. Hardaway and Nic Williams shared team-high scoring honors with 13 points apiece. Kindred Williams added 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds in the effort. Hardaway leads a group of five Saint Joseph's players averaging in double figures at 13.4 points per contest. Hardaway also has handed out a team-best 65 assists and also leads the team with 27 steals. Eric Gillespie checks in at 12.8 PPG, while Davone Daniels is next at 11.8 PPG. Kindred Williams cleans the glass for the Pumas at a rate of 6.3 rebounds per game, which leads the squad.
Last season in Renssalaer, Ind., McKendree held the lead for the majority of the contest before Saint Joseph's pulled away in the closing minutes for a 79-73 win.
David Newton (Rochelle, IL/Rochelle) poured in a career-high 20 points and had eight rebounds in the match-up.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) notched one of his eight double-doubles on the year with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bearcats.
