GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS -- Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Harry M. Statham Sports Center -- Lebanon, Ill.
WATCH LIVE (Bearcat Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS SEASON STATISTICS
McKENDREE at MARYVILLE -- Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, 3 p.m.
Moloney Arena -- St. Louis, Mo.
WATCH LIVE (Maryville Broadcast)
LIVE STATS
McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MARYVILLE SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 14)--The McKendree University men's basketball team will open up its second round of play against Great Lakes Valley Conference Central Division foes this week with a pair of games. The Bearcats will close out the home portion of their 2017-18 schedule Thursday night by hosting the University of Missouri-St. Louis before heading over to St. Louis for a Saturday afternoon match-up against Maryville University. Thursday's contest can be seen live on the Bearcat Sports Network at
www.glvcsn.com/mckendree.
With just four games remaining in the regular season, McKendree sits at 11-13 overall and 2-12 in GLVC play. The Maryville tilt will open a three-game road trip to end the season slate for the Bearcats. McKendree will play at Missouri S&T next Thursday before wrapping up the regular season on Feb. 24 at Quincy University.
McKendree enters the week ranked in the top four of the latest GLVC statistical report in a pair of categories. The Bearcats are third overall in rebounding, pulling down 38.5 rebounds per outing. McKendree is also third in steals at exactly seven per contest. Individually in the GLVC, Justin Blanks continues to pace all conference players in scoring at 18.8 PPG. Malcolm Mabry still holds down the No. 4 spot in the GLVC in rebounding at 9.2 RPG. Nate Michael sits fourth overall in the league in free throw percentage, hitting 87.7 percent of his tries from the stripe. Gianni Otto is seventh in the conference in steals per game at 1.4 SPG, while Nolan Gerling is eighth in field goal percentage, hitting 58.5 percent from the floor.
Michael continues his climb up the Bearcats' 1,000-point list. He currently has 1,076 career points, which is good for 43rd on the McKendree career scoring chart. Sitting in 42nd place all-time at McKendree is Rick Klingelhoefer with 1,081 points, while Eejuan Riddle is in 41st place on the career list with 1,099 points.
ABOUT MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
The Tritons enter Thursday's game with an overall record of 12-11 and a 7-6 mark against GLVC opponents. Missouri-St. Louis holds down the No. 8 spot in the inaugural Points Rating System that will help determine the field for the 2018 GLVC Tournament. UMSL has won three of its last four games, including an 82-65 triumph at home against Missouri S&T on Saturday. Steven Davis, who is the Tritons' leading scorer on the year at 12 PPG, poured in 22 points in the Missouri S&T victory on Saturday. Davis is one of three UMSL players averaging in double figures. He is joined by Johnathan Matthews (10.7 PPG) and Elijah Watson (10.4 PPG) in the trio. Watson leads the GLVC in assists per game at 5.9 APG, and his 124 total assists are second overall in the league. Eric Dust is the Tritons' leading rebounder at 4.7 RPG.
UMSL won a buzzer-beater in the first meeting between the two teams back on Jan. 13 in St. Louis, 59-57. Watson hit a 17-foot jumper with 0.9 seconds left to thwart a McKendree comeback bid. The Bearcats overcame a 16-point deficit in the contest to take a five-point lead in the closing minutes before the Tritons rallied for the win. Justin Blanks paced McKendree with 18 points while Nate Michael added 13 points and Nolan Gerling finished with a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Watson registered a game-high 24 points to lead UMSL, while Anthony Hughes finished with 14 points for the Tritons.
ABOUT MARYVILLE
The Saints are 17-7 on the year and lead the GLVC Central Division with a 9-6 ledger. Maryville has dropped four of its last six games, including an 85-84 setback at home on Saturday to Drury University. All five starters scored in double figures for the Saints, led by game-high totals of 17 points and 16 rebounds by Nolan Berry. The leading rebounder in the GLVC at 11 RPG, Berry also ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 18.2 PPG. He is the only player in the conference to rank in the top five in both scoring and rebounding. Robin Thompson is second on the Saints' squad in both scoring (13.3 PPG) and rebounding (6.6 RPG). Berry and Thompson rank third and fourth, respectively, in the conference in field goal percentage at .607 and .604. Jimmy Barton has handed out 110 assists and is one of just four players in the GLVC with more than 100 assists.
Back on Jan. 11 at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, Maryville recorded a 79-66 win over McKendree. Malcolm Mabry showed the way for the Bearcats with 20 points, while Nate Michael and Justin Blanks each connected for 13 points. Nolan Gerling had a double-double against the Saints with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. For Maryville, Nolan Berry (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Robin Thompson (17 points, 10 rebounds) each notched a double-double in the contest. Jimmy Barton finished with 17 points and five assists for the Saints.
