(LIBERTY, Mo., Feb. 7)—Offensive fireworks were on full display Thursday night for the McKendree University men's basketball team in the Bearcats' 105-93 victory at William Jewell College.
 
McKendree set season-highs in points scored, three-point field goals and three-point field goal percentage in grabbing a key Great Lakes Valley Conference victory to kick off a four-game road trip. The Bearcats improve to 9-12 overall and 5-7 in conference play with Thursday's triumph. McKendree will stay in the Kansas City area to face Rockhurst University Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
Six players reached double figures in the scoring column for McKendree against William Jewell. Junior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) led the charge with a career-high 26 points, including a 10-for-11 effort from the free throw line. Kohrmann also managed a career-high six assists against the Cardinals. Senior guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) chipped in with 21 points and a team-best seven assists. Sophomore guard Carrington Bass (Floosmoor, IL/Crete-Monee) came off the bench to pour in a career-best 18 points to go along with five rebounds.
 
Junior center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) and sophomore forward Jacob Donaldson (Effingham, IL/Effingham) each connected for 12 points, while junior guard Alijah Thomas (Des Moines, IA/Hoover) rounded out the high-scoring attack for McKendree with 11 points. Gerling also pulled down a team-leading six rebounds for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree drained 17 three-point field goals in Thursday's win, topping the previous season-high of 14, which came against the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Jan. 13. The Bearcats were 17-of-29 from beyond the arc, good for a season-best 58.6 percent. McKendree was nearly perfect from the free throw as well, hitting 22-of-24 attempts against William Jewell (91.7 percent). For the game, the Bearcats hit 52.4 percent of their shots from the floor (52.4 percent).
 
Both teams raced to a fast start, with McKendree holding a 16-11 lead a little more than three minutes into action. Michael hit his first four three-point attempts during the opening burst. William Jewell drew even at 18-18 when back-to-back three-pointers from Donaldson fueled a 12-3 run that pushed the Bearcats back in front at 30-21 with exactly 12 minutes left in the first half.
 
William Jewell (9-15, 3-9 GLVC) regrouped and went on a 16-3 run to surge in front at 39-33 with just under seven minutes remaining until halftime. McKendree began to chip away at the deficit and tied things at 47-47 when Thomas buried a three-pointer with 2:47 left in the period. The Cardinals hit a three-pointer on their next trip down the floor before the Bearcats rallied once again. Kohrmann hit a lay-up on McKendree's final possession of the half to take a 54-53 lead into the locker room. In the first 20 minutes of play, the Bearcats shot 55.9 percent from the field (19-of-34).
 
After William Jewell scored on its first possession of the second half, McKendree moved ahead for good. Thomas and Gerling scored on back-to-back trips down the floor to push the Bearcats in front at 58-55. Following a Cardinals' basket, McKendree reeled off 10 straight points to build their first double-digit lead of the contest, 68-57, with 16:35 remaining.
 
The Bearcats eventually stretched the margin to as many as 14 points midway through the period before the hosts tried to rally once again. William Jewell got as close as five points in the closing minutes before McKendree was able to hold on down the stretch. The Bearcats went 9-of-10 from the free throw line over the final 2:33 of play to register the victory.
 
Keith Hayes dropped in a game-high 27 points to lead William Jewell. Pharroh Gordon added 20 points and six assists, while Eysan Wiley grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Cardinals.