(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 10)—The McKendree University men's basketball team controlled the action for most of the first half in Saturday's home game against Rockhurst University, but the visiting Hawks rallied just before halftime and pulled away for an 83-71 win at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
 
The Bearcats led for nearly 13 minutes in the first half but could not overtime a 56.5 percent shooting performance by Rockhurst in the second half. McKendree is now 11-13 overall and 2-12 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats will play their final home game of the 2017-18 season on Thursday against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Both McKendree seniors – guards Justin Blanks and Gianni Otto – were honored in a pre-game ceremony, and each figured prominently into the final stat leaders. Blanks paced the Bearcats with 17 points and also handed out a team-leading four assists. Otto scored all eight of his points in the first half, including the team's first five points in the opening 39 seconds of play.
 
Junior guard Nate Michael chipped in with 13 points, while junior forward Malcolm Mabry closed with 12 points and a team-best six rebounds. Mabry also collected a game-high four steals for McKendree.
 
After Otto's early scoring outburst gave McKendree a five-point advantage, Rockhurst responded by scoring six of the next seven points to knot the score for the first time at 6-6. The Hawks edged out to a four-point lead before the Bearcats ripped off six straight points to regain a 14-12 advantage with just under 13 minutes left in the half. McKendree managed to hold the lead for the majority of the period before Rockhurst battled back late in the half. The Bearcats led 34-29 when the Hawks put together a 10-2 run to grab a 39-36 advantage in the closing seconds. A lay-up from junior guard Nate Bethel enabled McKendree to pull with 39-38 at the intermission.
 
Gerling hit a lay-up on the Bearcats' first possession of the second half to give McKendree its final lead of the contest at 40-39. Rockhurst surged back in front for good with a 7-2 run to take a 46-42 lead with 18:49 remaining. The Hawks pushed the margin to as many as seven points before the Bearcats made one final run. A lay-up and free throw by Gerling at the 12:08 mark brought McKendree within 54-53 to cap a 6-0 burst. Rockhurst never relinquished the lead, however, and took control down the stretch. The Hawks managed an 11-2 run to take a 78-63 lead with just over two minutes to play. In the final 20 minutes of play, Rockhurst hit 13-of-23 field goal attempts, including a 7-of-13 clip from three-point range.
 
Quinton Curry scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half and added six rebounds to lead Rockhurst (12-12, 5-9 GLVC). Curtis Lewis added 20 points and a game-high five assists, while Eddie Muench scored all 17 of his points in the second half for the Hawks.