GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. CENTRAL CHRISTIAN (MO) -- Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, 7 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.

WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 4)--Fresh off its 100-91 victory on Saturday in the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener at Drury University, the McKendree University men's basketball team will kick off a four-game home stand Monday by hosting Central Christian College (Mo.). The Bearcats and Saints are slated for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. The game can also be seen live on the Bearcat Sports Network at www.glvcsn.com/mckendree.

The Bearcats rallied from a 17-point deficit early in the second half to collect the win at Drury. Nolan Gerling helped lead the charge, netting 20 of his game-high 32 points in the final 20 minutes of play. Gerling was 8-for-9 from the field in the second half as McKendree scored 58 points in the period to overtake the host Panthers.In fact, all five starters reached double figures in the scoring column as Justin Blanks added 20 points, Giovanni Offard posted 18 points, Nate Michael dropped in 15 points and Malcolm Mabry finished with 13 points. Mabry paced the Bearcats with eight rebounds while Blanks and Gerling each pulled down seven boards. McKendree held a 33-30 edge in rebounding against Drury and outscored the Panthers in the paint by a margin of 50-30. 

Saturday's nine-point triumph marked the Bearcats' first win against Drury in the program's NCAA Division II era (that dates back to 2012-13) and the team's first victory over the Panthers since the 1991-92 season. McKendree also registered its first road victory in GLVC play since a 92-84 decision at Maryville University on Feb. 6, 2016. That win also happened to mark career victory No. 1,099 for Bearcat head coach Harry Statham to push him past the late Pat Summitt for the all-time wins record for any four-year basketball coach -- men's or women's -- at any level. 

Blanks head a list of six players averaging in double figures for McKendree at 20.4 points per game. He is currently second in the GLVC in scoring. Gerling raised his scoring average to 13.2 PPG thanks to his 32-point outing on Saturday, while Mabry ranks seventh in the league in rebounding at eight RPG. 

Monday's meeting with Central Christian will mark the first of two games in a three-day span for McKendree. The Bearcats will host Truman State University Thursday at 7:30 p.m. McKendree will close out its home stand in non-conference play against Salem International University on Wednesday, Dec. 13 before hosting Robert Morris University a day later on Thursday, Dec. 14. The Bearcats are then slated to head to Puerto Rico for a pair of games before returning to the Statham Center Dec. 29 to close out non-conference action versus Robert Morris University-Peoria on Dec. 29. 

ABOUT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
The Saints are 3-5 overall following a 100-89 home win over Baptist Bible College on Saturday. Monday's game is slated as an exhibition contest for Central Christian, which plays as members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Veteran head coach Jack Defreitas has four players averaging in double figures, led by Kedron Rollings at 17.1 points per game. Rollings has connected on 57.1 percent of his three-point tries, knocking down 20-of-35 attempts from beyond the arc. Rollings had 22 points in the Saints' win over Central Christian. 

McKendree won last season's meeting against Central Christian at the Statham Center, 84-60. Justin Blanks came off the bench to post a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bearcats while Gianni Otto added nine points, five assists and four steals in the win.