(QUINCY, Ill., Dec. 14) – The McKendree University men's basketball team defeated Lincoln University, 55-51 in its first game of the Quincy Holiday Classic on Saturday. The Bearcats improve to 5-3 overall on the season.

The Blue Tigers scored first in the game and then the Bearcats went on a twelve-point unanswered run to take a commanding, 12-2 lead early on. McKendree kept the pressure high, recording the biggest point spread of the game in the seventh minute of play, 21-8 over Lincoln.

Lincoln slowly chipped away at the Bearcats lead pulling it within one, 26-25 with four minutes remaining in the half. McKendree answered back with an eight-point run to head into halftime with a 34-28 lead.

The second half began with an Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/BC Partizan Belgrade) three-pointer for the Bearcats. Lincoln then made a slow comeback to take the lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game. McKendree didn't give up and made every effort to take back the lead with 1:27 left to play, which it kept until the end to win 55-51 against the Blue Tigers.

Senior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) led the Bearcats recording a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Nate Bethel (Nassau, Bahamas/St. Louis Christian Academy) was also an essential player for McKendree tallying nine points and nine rebounds.

As a team the Bearcats out-shot the Blue Tigers in field goals, three pointers, and free throws. McKendree shot .451 percent from the field goal zone in comparison to Lincoln's, .349 percent. The three point percentage is what made the biggest difference in the game as the Bearcats went five for 21 from behind the line while the Blue Tigers went zero for 22. 

The Bearcats will continue competition at the Quincy Holiday Classic Sunday with a game against Hannibal-LaGrange. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.