GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. BLACKBURN -- Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Statham Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
BLACKBURN SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 4)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will step back into non-conference play Wednesday night when Blackburn College visits the Statham Center for a non-conference match-up. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be carried live on the Bearcat Sports Network at
www.glvcsn.com/mckendree, beginning with the pre-game show at approximately 7:20 p.m.
The Bearcats are fresh off their first Great Lakes Valley Conference victory Saturday afternoon, when they defeated Maryville University 84-83 in St. Louis.
Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) again played the hero for McKendree, hitting the game-winning 15-foot jumper with 4.3 seconds on the clock to mark the 13th and final lead change in the contest. Michael finished the afternoon with a game-high 24 points, while
Alijah Thomas (Des Moines, IA/Hoover) chipped in with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) added 17 points and seven rebounds as
Giovanni Offard (Freeport, IL/Freeport) dished out five assists to lead all players. Saturday's win was also head coach
Chris Foster's first GLVC victory at the helm of the McKendree program, which enters Wednesday's game at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference action.
Following an 0-2 start to the season, McKendree has won three of its last four games. The Bearcats are shooting 77.5 percent from the free throw line, which is good for second among all GLVC teams and 35th in NCAA Division II. McKendree is also taking care of the basketball through its first six games, averaging just 11.5 turnovers per game, which is good for 47th in the nation. Individually, Offard ranks 29th overall in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Michael leads the Bearcats in scoring at 13.7 PPG, while Gerling is the other McKendree player averaging in double figures at 10.8 PPG. Gerling is also the team's leading rebounder at 5.0 RPG. Offard has dished out 29 assists.
Following Wednesday's game, McKendree will be on the road for its next three contests. The Bearcats will travel to Ada, Okla., for its first meeting against East Central University Saturday at 1 p.m. McKendree will then head to Quincy University Dec. 15-16 for the QU Subway Holiday Classic. The Bearcats will then close out their pre-Christmas slate Dec. 19 with a matinee at home against Eureka College.
ABOUT BLACKBURN
The Beavers are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Blackburn earned its first SLIAC victory of the season on Saturday with a 73-62 triumph at home versus Westminster College (Mo.). Karson Hayes led a balanced attack for the Beavers with 16 points and seven rebounds. Nigel Ferrell handed out four assists in the win.
Hayes is the fifth-leading scorer in the SLIAC at 22.2 PPG. Duncan King (15.8 PPG) and Raushaun Amos (11.5 PPG) are also averaging in double figures for the Beavers. Bryson Kirby is the team's top rebounder at 5.0 RPG, while Ferrell has dished out 20 assists in six outings.
McKendree and Blackburn have not played since the Bearcats' 2015-16 season opener, when McKendree held off a late charge from the Beavers to post a 90-88 win.
