(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 19)—The McKendree University men's basketball team was defeated at home in Great Lakes Valley Conference play Thursday evening at home by the University of Indianapolis, 88-70.
 
The visiting Greyhounds connected on 11-of-16 three-point attempts in the first half and raced to a 20-point lead at the intermission in collecting their sixth consecutive victory. McKendree slips to 6-9 on the year and 0-7 in the GLVC. The Bearcats will close out a three-game home stand Saturday afternoon against Saint Joseph's College. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
Junior guard Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) scored 19 of his game-high 26 points in the first half to show the way for McKendree. Sophomore guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) chipped in with 16 points, while senior guard David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) added a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Michael also had a game-high three steals for the Bearcats. Freshman center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) also helped out with 10 points and six rebounds.
 
Indianapolis (9-7, 6-2 GLVC) started the game with a 12-2 run over the first four minutes of play. The Greyhounds pushed the lead to 15 points before McKendree started to chip away at the deficit. Blanks connected on back-to-back three-pointers to help the Bearcats trim the deficit to 32-25 with 7:14 left in the period. The teams traded baskets before a 6-0 burst pushed the Indianapolis lead back to 41-27 with just under four minutes remaining until the intermission.
 
The Greyhounds appeared content to take a 17-point lead into the locker room before Jimmy King hit an running 35-footer at the buzzer to give Indianapolis a 53-33 lead after 20 minutes of play. In addition to its torrid three-point shooting in the opening half, the Greyhounds shot 51.4 percent overall (18-of-35).
 
In the early stages of the second half, McKendree again started to whittle away at the Indianapolis advantage. This time, Michael led the charge for the Bearcats as he scored eight points during a 13-4 run that helped McKendree pull within 66-56 with 12:19 to play. The Bearcats got as close as 10 points on one other occasion before the Greyhounds were able to take control down the stretch and register the victory.
 
Five different players scored in double figures for Indianapolis. Alex Etherington and Jimmy King shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points each. Etherington also pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds, while King dished out six assists. Eric Davidson and Tate Hall each connected for 15 points, while Ajay Lawton chiopped in with 11 points for the Greyhounds.