GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS -- Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, 3:30 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE GAME NOTES
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 3)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will close out its home slate for the 2016-17 season on Saturday by playing host to the University of Missouri-St. Louis at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. Tip-off for the Great Lakes Valley Conference match-up is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The game can also be seen live on the Bearcat Sports Network at
www.glvcsn.com/mckendree.
Saturday's game will mark Senior Day for the McKendree men's basketball program. Prior to tip-off, the Bearcats will honor their five senior players --
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic),
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon),
Brian Koch (Mt. Vernon, IN/Mt. Vernon),
Darin Winkelman (Steeleville, IL/Steeleville) and
Kyle Yates (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) -- with a special ceremony.
McKendree collected an important GLVC victory Thursday night at home, holding off a late rally from Maryville to post a 79-73 win.
David Franklin (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic), who led all scorers with 27 points, poured in 14 of the Bearcats' last 16 points against the Saints while assisting on the other basket over the course of the final six minutes of play. The win pushes McKendree's season record to 8-11, while the Bearcats are now 2-9 in conference play. The Bearcats remain in a very active race for the final GLVC Tournament slots that will be filled for the 12-team event.
Michael Jackson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) added 22 points against Maryville, while
Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) chipped in with 15 points. Franklin also added 11 rebounds and six assists as
Kyle Yates (Bethalto, IL/Civic Memorial) dished out a team-leading seven assists against the Saints.
Missouri-St. Louis improved to 10-12 overall and 4-8 in the GLVC following a 66-65 win Thursday night at the University of Illinois Springfield. Elijah Watson pumped in a game-high 33 points, including the game-winning basket and free throw with 1.7 seconds to play that lifted the Tritons past the Prairie Stars. Hunter Reine posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for UMSL.
Reine leads the Tritons in scoring at 11.2 PPG and rebounding at 8.5 RPG. Steven Davis is next at 10.8 PPG, while Watson checks in at 10 PPG. Davis leads the squad with 64 three-point field goals, while Joseph English has handed out 72 assists on the year.
McKendree and Missouri-St. Louis met once last year, with the Tritons posting an 86-82 victory at home over the Bearcats. Franklin led four McKendree players scoring in double figures with 20 points, while Michael and Winkelman each added 19 points. Reine had 23 points and 12 rebounds to pace UMSL.
Following Saturday's home contest, McKendree will play its final six games of the regular season on the road, beginning with a visit to Drury University on Feb. 9.
