(NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 22)—The McKendree University men's basketball team reeled off 15 unanswered points in the closing minutes to rally for a 74-65 victory Wednesday at Trevecca Nazarene University.
 
The Bearcats held the host Trojans without a point for nearly five minutes down the stretch to improve to 3-0 on the season. McKendree and Trevecca Nazarene will meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. inside the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
 
Senior guard Justin Blanks scored six of his game-high 25 points during the decisive run for McKendree. Junior guard Nate Michael contributed 12 points while tying Blanks for team-high rebounding honors with seven. Junior guard Malcolm Mabry added 11 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Giovanni Offard helped out with 10 points and six rebounds. Michael also handed out four assists to pace the Bearcats.
 
In a game that featured eight ties and nine lead changes, Trevecca Nazarene (0-5) used an 11-4 run to take its largest lead of the contest at 63-57 with 5:12 remaining. Blanks began the McKendree comeback with back-to-back dunks to trim the deficit to 63-61 just over a minute later. Michael then put the Bearcats in front to stay at 64-63 when he drilled a three-pointer with 2:36 to play.
 
Blanks added a pair of free throws before a lay-up from Mabry at the 1:16 mark extended the McKendree advantage to 68-63. Offard then connected on a jumper before Michael closed out the 15-0 run with two foul shots with 19 seconds to play to give McKendree a 72-63 cushion. Defensively, the Bearcats limited Trevecca Nazarene to 0-of-5 shooting from the field while forcing three turnovers during that span. The Trojans also missed three free throws in the midst of the McKendree run.
 
Trevecca Nazarene held the lead for most of the first half before McKendree used an 8-2 burst to grab a 31-25 lead with 2:44 remaining in the period. Blanks capped the run with a three-pointer and driving lay-up on consecutive possessions. The Trojans battled back in the early stages of the second half to tie the contest before surging to its six-point lead with 5:12 on the clock.
 
Devin Whitfield led Trevecca Nazarene with 23 points while adding seven rebounds. Mehdi El Mardi added 12 points and game-high totals of nine rebounds and five blocked shots for the Trojans.