(LIBERTY, Mo., Feb. 13)—The McKendree University men's basketball team battled William Jewell College down to the wire Monday night in Liberty, Mo., but the host Cardinals held off the visiting Bearcats in Great Lakes Valley Conference action, 87-81.
 
Junior guard Justin Blanks (Barberton, OH/Norton) posted a double-double with a season-high 32 points along with 12 rebounds as McKendree nearly overcame a 17-point, first-half deficit. Senior guard Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) added 25 points before fouling out late in the contest as the Bearcats slipped to 9-14 overall and 3-12 in the GLVC. The Bearcats will continue their six-game road trip Thursday night with a trip to Louisville, Ky., for a meeting against Bellarmine University. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET.
 
Senior forward Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) also scored in double figures for McKendree with 12 points as senior guard Kyle Yates (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) dished out five assists.
 
Both teams established a fast pace at the outset, each hitting four of their first five field goal attempts. William Jewell then rattled off nine consecutive points to build a 19-10 lead with 14:21 left in the first half. The Cardinals quickly pushed their lead to double figures and used an 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the period at 48-31 with 1:45 left until the break. Jackson helped McKendree answer with a three-pointer and lay-up to cut the Bearcats' deficit to 48-36 at the intermission. William Jewell shot 55.6 percent (20-of-36) in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Over the first six minutes of the second half, McKendree was able to chip away at the William Jewell lead. A three-pointer from Blanks ignited a 13-4 run that enabled the Bearcats to pull within 55-50 with 13:48 on the clock. The Cardinals responded by scoring the next 13 points to extend their advantage out to 68-50 at the 10:35 mark.
 
McKendree continued to fight back, getting the William Jewell lead down to single digits at 76-68 with just over five minutes remaining. The Bearcats clawed closer down the stretch, getting as close as 81-77 following a lay-up by Blanks with 32 seconds on the clock. William Jewell's Easton Koch was fouled on the ensuing possession, and his two free throws pushed the Cardinals' lead back to six points. Emil Ostafiicuic and Jorge Laham-Perez combined to go 4-for-4 from the foul line in the closing seconds to hold off the Bearcats' comeback bid.
 
Laham-Perez paced William Jewell (8-15, 4-11 GLVC) with 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. Ostafiicuic posted his own double-double for the Cardinals with 17 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds.
 
Monday's loss snapped a two-game win streak for McKendree against William Jewell. Blanks' 12 rebounds also matched a season-high, which was also attained back on Dec. 7 against Central Christian College.