GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at TREVECCA NAZARENE -- Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, 4 p.m.
Trojan Fieldhouse -- Nashville, Tenn.
LIVE VIDEO (Trevecca Broadcast)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE vs. TREVECCA NAZARENE -- Saturday, Nov. 25, 3 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
TREVECCA NAZARENE SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 21)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will get its fill of Trevecca Nazarene University over the Thanksgiving holiday as the Bearcats and Trojans will meet twice over a four-day span. McKendree will make its first road trip of the 2017-18 season Wednesday for a 4 p.m. matinee against Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tenn. The two teams will then square off again on Saturday at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, with tip-off slated for 3 p.m.
McKendree pushed its season record to 2-0 thanks to a 102-62 victory over Robert Morris University-Springfield this past Saturday. Six different Bearcats scored in double figures as the team connected on 54.3 percent of its shots from the field (19-of-35) in each half against the Eagles. Justin Blanks led the charge with 21 points while Nolan Gerling and Jacob Donaldson each connected for 16 points. Nate Michael netted 14 points -- which included four three-point field goals -- as Malcolm Mabry and Troy Pedtke each added 10 points in the effort. Mabry grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds as McKendree held a 47-28 edge on the boards. The Bearcats also forced 22 Robert Morris-Springfield turnovers in the victory.
Through two games, Blanks is the Bearcats' leading scorer at 18.5 points per game. He is one of five McKendree players shooting above 60 percent from the field. As a team, McKendree has connected on 51.8 percent of its field goal tries and have outrebounded its first two opponents by 15 rebounds per contest. The Bearcats have also shared the ball well with 47 assists in two games, including 29 in the win over Robert Morris-Springfield. Mabry leads McKendree in rebounding with 10 per outing, and Gianni Otto has come off the bench to distributed a team-leading 14 assists. Otto and Giovanni Offard share the team lead with seven steals apiece.
Following the two-game series with Trevecca Nazarene, McKendree will visit Drury University on Dec. 2 to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats and Panthers will tangle at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the O'Reilly Events Center in Springfield, Mo.
ABOUT TREVECCA NAZARENE
The Trojans are in search of their first win of 2017-18, entering Wednesday's contest with an overall record of 0-4. Trevecca Nazarene hosted No. 11-ranked Christian Brothers University on Saturday and came up just short of the upset in a 77-74 loss. The Trojans are led by Devin Whitfield, who is averaging 19.3 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Whitfield has made 52.9 percent of his three-point attempts on the young season and has handed out 21 assists. Jacob Williams is averaging 12 points a game, while Mehdi El Mardi leads the Trojans in rebounding at eight per outing. Head coach Sam Harris is in his 25th season on the sidelines at Trevecca Nazarene.
The Bearcats and Trojans have played a two-game non-conference series in each of the past five years, and the squads have split each series. In 2016-17, each team won on its home floor. Trevecca Nazarene outlasted McKendree 74-70 in overtime in last season's first meeting on Nov. 26, 2016 in Nashville before the Bearcats returned the favor with a 92-70 triumph on Dec. 10, 2016 at the Statham Center.
