(ROMEOVILLE, Ill., Feb. 3)—The McKendree University men's basketball team wrapped up a two-game road trip Saturday afternoon with a 91-77 loss at Lewis University.
The host Flyers shot 52.5 percent for the contest (32-of-61) and committed just six turnovers in holding off a rally by the Bearcats midway through the second half. McKendree slipped to 11-11 on the season and 2-10 against Great Lakes Valley Conference foes. The Bearcats will play host to Bellarmine University, the No. 9-ranked team in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Sophomore center Nolan Gerling hit 10-of-16 shots from the floor on his way to a team-high 23 points for McKendree. Senior guard Justin Blanks chipped in with 17 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Nate Michael added 13 points and a team-best five assists for the Bearcats. Junior forward Malcolm Mabry posted his second double-double in the last three games for McKendree with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Lewis (11-12, 6-7 GLVC) hit four of its first five shots from the floor on its way to a 13-4 lead in the first 3:44 of play. The Flyers pushed the lead to nine points before McKendree went on a 9-2 run to slash its deficit to 17-15 at the midpoint of the first half. Gerling scored the first four points of the run before Blanks capped it with a three-pointer at the 10:32 mark of the period.
After Lewis regained an eight-point advantage on two different occasions in the half, McKendree chipped away and pulled even at 33-33 on a lay-up from junior guard Nate Bethel with 3:08 left until halftime. The Flyers fought their way back into the lead and held a 42-37 advantage at the break.
A three-pointer from Blanks just 40 seconds into the second half enabled McKendree to pull within 44-42. Lewis tried to pull away by scoring the next eight points to take its first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 52-42. The Bearcats clawed their way back into contention over the next few minutes, getting as close as four different times. Gerling scored on a lay-up with 12:22 on the clock to get McKendree within 57-53, which would be as close as the Bearcats would get the rest of the contest. The Flyers pulled away over the final six minutes to claim the win.
All five starters scored in double figures for Lewis, led by Delaney Blaylock with a game-high 24 points. Cristen Wilson and Marco Pettinato each scored 17 points, while Brandon McCombs helped out with 10 opints and a team-leading eight rebounds for the Flyers.
