(SAN JUAN, P.R., Dec. 18)—The McKendree University men's basketball team battled its way to a fourth consecutive victory thanks to a 59-54 triumph Monday night against the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon.
 
Junior forward Malcolm Mabry registered his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and season-high 15 rebounds to lead the Bearcats to their second win to wrap up their visit to Puerto Rico. McKendree will take a 9-2 overall record into the holiday break and will be away from the court until hosting Robert Morris University-Peoria on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
 
Senior guard Justin Blanks, who was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week earlier on Monday, paced McKendree with 13 points while pulling down six rebounds. Junior guard Nate Michael contributed nine points, while junior center Lens-Harly Louis came off the bench to add eight points. In addition to his season-best 15 rebounds, Mabry dished out five assists for his highest total of the campaign.
 
In the first half, McKendree jumped out to a 13-6 lead over the first eight minutes of action. Puerto Rico-Bayamon whittled away the deficit and moved out in front 19-17 at the midway point of the period. The teams continued to exchange leads over the next several minutes until a free throw by Luis Gonzalez allowed the Cowboys to pull even at 27-27 with 3:09 left until the intermission.
 
At that point, McKendree reeled off the final eight points to grab a 35-27 advantage at the half. All four baskets for the Bearcats during the stretch came on lay-ups, including the first two from Blanks. Mabry then scored on a drive to the basket before junior guard Giovanni Offard capped the burst with a score at the 1:07 mark.
 
Puerto Rico-Bayamon took a one-point lead in the early stages of the second half before McKendree ripped off 11 straight points to take the lead for good, 46-36, with 13:27 remaining. The Bearcats held the Cowboys scoreless for more than six minutes while surging to a double-digit advantage. McKendree eventually built a 14-point lead on three different occasions in the period, the last coming at 57-43 following a jumper from Offard at the 4:03 mark. Puerto Rico-Bayamon closed the game on an 11-2 run but could not complete the comeback as the Bearcats held on for the five-point win.
 
Nathanial Martinez scored a game-high 20 points to lead Puerto Rico-Bayamon, while David Rivera finished with 10 points off the bench for the Cowboys.