(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 6)—The McKendree University men's basketball team was defeated in Great Lakes Valley Conference action Saturday afternoon at home by the University of Illinois Springfield, 86-72.
The visiting Prairie Stars shot 53.1 percent from the field and stretched a nine-point halftime lead to as many as 23 points in the second half to notch the win. McKendree slips to 10-4 overall and 1-3 in GLVC play with the loss. The Bearcats will entertain Maryville University in conference play Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Junior guard Giovanni Offard led McKendree with 17 points, while senior guard Justin Blanks added 16 points in the effort. Sophomore center Nolan Gerling pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds to go along with eight points as junior forward Malcolm Mabry registered nine points and six rebounds before fouling out for the Bearcats.
McKendree controlled the play in the opening minutes, leading by as many as three points on three different occasions over the first 6:29 of action. The Bearcats held a 17-15 advantage before UIS reeled off 11 consecutive points to take the lead for good, 26-17, with 8:22 left in the opening period. Junior guard Nate Michael knocked down a three-pointer to end the Prairie Stars' run to get McKendree back within six points before UIS quickly pushed the advantage back to double digits.
Late in the half, McKendree put together a 10-3 run to slash the deficit to 43-35 with 1:52 remaining until the intermission. The Prairie Stars countered with a pair of free throws before junior guard Nate Bethel sank one of two foul shots on the Bearcats' final possession of the half to send UIS into the break with a 45-36 lead.
Illinois Springfield broke open the game midway through the second half with a 12-0 to command a 66-47 lead with 12:33 to play. The Prairie Stars eventually pushed their advantage to as many as 23 points on two different occasions, the last coming at 83-60 with just over four minutes to play. McKendree battled back in the closing minutes with a run of 12 consecutive points of its own to get within 83-72 at the 1:26 mark.
Six different players scored in double figures for Illinois Springfield (10-4, 2-2 GLVC), led by Zach Steinberg with 19 points, Vince Walker and Collin Stallworth each came off the bench with 11 points apiece, while Eddie Longmeyer added 10 points and game-high totals of nine rebounds and six assists for the Prairie Stars. The UIS reserves outscored the McKendree bench by a 35-17 margin. In addition to his 11 points, Stallworth had a game-high four blocked shots.
