LEBANON, Ill. – The McKendree University men's basketball team will look to open the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season here Thursday as the Bearcats open the home portion of its 2021-22 schedule with a 7:30 p.m. non-conference contest against Harris-Stowe State University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
 
McKendree is sporting a 2-0 record after opening the 2021-22 season with back-to-back wins last weekend at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover hosted by Lewis University as the Bearcats opened the season with a 74-59 victory over Michigan Tech and then collected a 75-63 win over Northern Michigan.
 
In the win against Michigan Tech, who fell in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional final to Truman State, the Bearcats trailed for all of 24 seconds against the Huskies and was paced offensively by 29 points from junior guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville). The 29 points by Bultman were the most points scored by a Bearcat in a season opener since Justin Blanks tallied 27 points in a 97-57 win over Robert Morris-Springfield to open the 2016-17 season. In addition, the win was also the first career coaching victory of McKendree's first-year head coach George Suggs.
 
Meanwhile, in the win over Northern Michigan, the Bearcats led for a little over 37 minutes and put five players in double figures with junior Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) leading the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Carson Parker (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) added 13 points and six boards.
 
Through two games, the Bearcats are averaging 74.5 points per game and are allowing just 60.5 points per game and are shooting 55 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line and are outrebounding its foes by a +12.0 margin and 1.1 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Bultman is the team's scoring leader as he is averaging 16.0 points per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field, while Davitkov is averaging 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 67 percent from the field, 57 percent from the 3-point line and 83 percent from the free throw line.
 
The third double-digit scorer for the Bearcats is senior forward Luke Hensler (Okawville, Ill./Okawville), who is averaging 11.0 points per game and is shooting 69 percent from the field and has dished out five assists and had just one turnover.
 
Meanwhile, Harris-Stowe, who is a member of the NAIA's American Midwest Conference, comes into Thursday's game sporting an 0-5 overall record and the Hornets have lost 15 straight games dating to the 2019-20 season. The Hornets latest loss came on Monday at home against Philander Smith as they fell 67-51. The Hornets also played an exhibition game last Wednesday at Division I St. Louis University and the Billikins won the game, 127-54.

As a team, Harris-Stowe is averaging 54.4 points per game and is allowing 73.2 points per game and the Hornets are shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 25.3 percent from the 3-point line and 33.6 rebounds per game. 
 
Leading the way for Harris-Stowe junior forward Jadakiss Williams, who is averaging 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 67 percent from the field. Along with Williams, sophomore guard Antwan Campbell is averaging 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field.
 
Derek Thompson is in his first season as the Hornets head coach after spending the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach and then was promoted to the interim head coach role this past March before being named the school's new head coach on July 27, 2021.
 
Thursday's game will be the 19th meeting between the two schools and the first meeting since March 5, 2011, when the Bearcats picked up a 67-63 win at home. At the time, both teams were members of the American Midwest Conference and the NAIA. McKendree holds an 18-0 all-time lead in the series, including a 12-0 mark in Lebanon.
 
Following Thursday's game, the Bearcats will be off for 11 days before opening Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Monday, Nov. 29 at the University of Illinois-Springfield in Springfield, Ill., at 7:30 p.m. The Bearcats first GLVC home contest is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 4 as the Bearcats host Lewis University at 3 p.m.