(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 25)—The McKendree University men's basketball team was defeated Thursday night in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at home by William Jewell College, 84-78.
 
Junior guard Nate Michael etched his name in the Bearcat record books by becoming the 51^st player in program history to score 1,000 career points. Michael, who had 17 points against William Jewell, hit the mark on a three-pointer from the top of the key with 7:55 remaining in the first half. Michael pushed his career total to 1,011 points in the effort.
 
Thursday's contest also marked the first-ever meeting of two college basketball coaches with 2,000 career victories. McKendree's Harry Statham is the all-time wins leader in college basketball history – men's or women's, all divisions – with 1,121 victories. On the opposite sideline, William Jewell's Larry Holley collected his 902^nd career win in the six-point triumph over the Bearcats to move into a tie with Bobby Knight for ninth place on the all-time chart.
 
Senior guard Justin Blanks pumped in a team-leading 26 points to lead the way for Mckendree. Sophomore center Nolan Gerling notched his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Nate Bethel came off the bench to add 10 points and six rebounds for the Bearcats. Junior forward Malcolm Mabry led all players with 13 rebounds in the effort.
 
McKendree moves to 11-8 on the year and 2-7 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will wrap up a three-game home stand Saturday afternoon by hosting the University of Southern Indiana. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. between the two conference foes.
 
The Bearcats raced out to a 13-5 lead by holding William Jewell to just 1-of-11 shooting over the first 4:25 of play. McKendree eventually pushed the margin to 27-16 following a driving lay-up by Blanks midway through the first half. The Cardinals countered with a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to 29-26 with 8:28 left in the period.
 
The teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the half as McKendree was able to forge a four-point lead in the final minute of the period. William Jewell then reeled off the final five points of the half as Nick Bradley's three-pointer just before the buzzer sent the Cardinals into the locker room with a 43-42 advantage.
 
Midway through the second half, William Jewell (16-4, 6-4 GLVC) used an 11-3 run to take its largest lead of the night at 63-51 with 13 minutes remaining. McKendree began to chip away at the deficit, and put together a 10-2 burst of its own to rally within 69-68 with just over five minutes left. The Cardinals ripped off the next eight points to stretch the lead back to nine points with less than two minutes to play. The Bearcats got as close as five points in the closing minutes before the visitors were able to preserve the win at the free throw line. William Jewell made five attempts from the line in the final 57 seconds to claim the conference victory.
 
Keith Hayes matched Blanks with 26 points to lead William Jewell. Pharroh Gordon chipped in with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Byron Harp added 18 points. Eysan Wiley pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds for the Cardinals, who were outrebounded by the Bearcats 50-39.