(SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 5)—The McKendree University men's basketball team made its first game of 2019 a memorable one thanks to a 77-75 win Saturday afternoon at the University of Illinois Springfield.
 
The Bearcats shrugged off a slow start with a big performance over the final seven minutes of play to rally for the win. McKendree opened the key stretch with a 13-0 run and maintained its lead by hitting 15-of-18 free throw attempts over the last 6:54 of action. The win enabled the Bearcats to push its season record to 6-6 while moving to 2-1 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
On Thursday, McKendree will kick off a season-long four-game home stand against Maryville University. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Saints will take place at approximately 7:30 p.m.
 
Senior guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to fuel the offense for McKendree. He led the charge at the free throw line for the Bearcats, hitting all 13 of his free throw attempts, marking the third time that Michael has made at least 13 foul shots in a game during his collegiate career. In addition to his offensive performance, Michael paced the Bearcats with nine rebounds.
 
Junior center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) was also a big factor for McKendree with 17 points, 11 of which came after halftime. Gerling also pulled down eight rebounds as the Bearcats held a 41-38 edge in rebounding against Illinois Springfield. Senior guard Giovanni Offard (Freeport, IL/Freeport) contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win, while junior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) recorded double digits in the scoring column with 11 points.
 
"I'm so proud of the way our guys kept fighting, kept battling in this game," said McKendree head coach Chris Foster. "UIS came right at us early in the game, and it took a little bit to find our footing. But once we did, you could see the confidence build with every trip down the floor. There were a lot of heroes today, and it was good to see us get back in the flow and pick up a big conference win today."
 
Illinois Springfield (9-4, 2-1 GLVC) scored the first 10 points of the contest on its way to a 12-2 lead with just over 16 minutes left in the opening half. After a lay-up by Gerling got McKendree into the scoring column, Kohrmann drilled back-to-back three-pointers to cap an 8-0 run that helped the Bearcats pull within 12-8. The Prairie Stars were able to maintain their lead, extending the margin back to 31-21 before a three-pointer from sophomore guard Carrington Bass (Floosmoor, IL/Crete-Monee) accounted for the only points in the final 2:37 of the half as McKendree trimmed its deficit to 31-24 at the intermission.
 
Gerling scored on a lay-up with 15:48 remaining to give McKendree its first lead of the contest at 36-35, and marked the first of seven lead changes in the period. The teams went toe-to-toe over the next several minutes before Illinois Springfield was able to forge a 59-54 advantage with just over seven minutes on the clock. At that point, McKendree began its decisive run, which began on a pair of free throws from Offard with 6:54 remaining. After a missed shot by the Prairie Stars, Gerling was fouled on the rebound. A technical foul was assessed on UIS, and Michael proceeded to sink two more free throws before Gerling hit one of two from the stripe to tie the score at 59-59.
 
Michael then put McKendree in front for good by connected on consecutive three-point field goals to push the lead to six points before Kohrmann punctuated the run on a driving lay-up at the 4:22 mark to give the Bearcats a 67-59 advantage.
 
McKendree extended its lead to 69-60 with just over four minutes left when the Prairie Stars began to chip away. UIS guard Aundrae Williams netted the final five points in an 8-2 run as the hosts pulled within 71-68 with 1:41 remaining. Two free throws each from Thomas and Michael helped the Bearcats stretch the margin back out to seven points when UIS made one final push, shaving the Bearcats' lead to 76-75 on a three-pointer from Williams with 11.2 seconds left.
 
Thomas was fouled on the inbounds and made one of two free throws to give McKendree a two-point lead. The Prairie Stars went for the win but missed a three-pointer from the corner, and a second-chance put-back was off the mark at the buzzer to give the Bearcats the win.
 
Williams led Illinois Springfield with 22 points and five rebounds while chipping in six rebounds. Peyton Allen scored 17 points, while Allen and Collin Stallworth each pulled down seven rebounds in the contest. McKendree and UIS will meet one more time on Feb. 23 at the Statham Center in Lebanon.