LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University men's basketball will play its second of three games this week on Thursday, Dec. 2 as the Bearcats will cross the Mississippi River on I-64 for a 7:30 p.m. Great Lakes Valley Conference match-up at Moloney Arena against Maryville University. 

Thursday's game will mark the second of three games this week for the Bearcats to open GLVC play as they played on Monday in Springfield, Ill., against Illinois-Springfield and will conclude the stretch on Saturday with a 3 p.m. home contest against Lewis University. 

McKendree enters Thursday's game sporting a 4-0 overall record and 1-0 mark in the GLVC after picking up a hard-fought 51-47 victory on Monday at UIS to open its 20 game GLVC slate. The 4-0 start to the season is the best for the Bearcats since the 2015-16 team also opened the season winning its first four games and five of its first seven games overall to open the campaign. McKendree hasn't started a season 5-0 since 2009-10. 

In the win over UIS, junior guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) paced the Bearcats with a game-high 12 points, while redshirt senior guard Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, Ill./SWIC) and sophomore guard Carson Parker (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) each had 10 points in the win. Parker also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career collegiate double-double. 

Monday's game was won on the defensive end as the Bearcats limited UIS to just 47 points, including 19 in the first half and held the Prairie Stars to 29 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent (5-for-20) shooting from the 3-point line. All three of those numbers were season lows allowed by the Bearcats. McKendree also blocked a season high five shots, including two blocks each by Parker and senior forward Luke Hensler (Okawville, Ill./SWIC). 

On the season, the Bearcats are averaging 68.8 points per game and had scored over 74 points in its first three games this season before being held to 51 points last time out against UIS. Along with averaging 68.8 points per game, the Bearcats are allowing 55.3 points per game and have held three of their first opponents under 60 points, including 47 points to UIS in its last outing. The Bearcats are shooting 50 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line and is outrebounding its foes by 9.8 boards per game and are averaging 12.8 assists per game. Defensively, the Bearcats are allowing their foes to shoot 36 percent from the field and 27 percent from the 3-point line.

Bultman is one of two Bearcats averaging in double figures on the season as he averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field and has scored in double figures in two straight games and three times overall on the year. 

In addition to Bultman, the other double digit scorer this season is Parker, who is averaging 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 83 percent at the free throw line and has a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Parker has scored in double digits in three consecutive games, including a career high 17 points against Harris-Stowe.

Meanwhile, Maryville comes into its GLVC home opener on Thursday with McKendree riding a five game winning streak that has raised the Saints record to 6-1 overall and they are 1-0 in the league following its 90-84 overtime win on Monday at Lindenwood to open GLV play. 

Maryville hasn't lost a game since suffering an 81-73 loss against Walsh on Nov. 14 and have reeled off five straight wins since that loss, including a 57-54 win on Nov. 19 at MIAA powerhouse Central Missouri. 

The Saints come into Thursday's game averaging 78.9 points per game and are allowing 67.3 points per game and they have scored over 80 points in three consecutive games, including topping the century mark in a 100-57 win at home over East-West University on Nov. 23. Additionally, Maryville is shooting 47 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent at the free throw line and is outrebounding its foes by 2.4 boards per game and are forcing 15.3 turnovers per game. Defensively, Maryville's opponents are shooting 39 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and 70 percent from the foul line and have scored 65 or fewer points in four of seven games. 

Leading the way for Maryville is sophomore guard Ari Johnson, who is averaging 12.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and is a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. 

Johnson is one of three Saints averaging in double figures this season as graduate student forward Cameron Scales is averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line, while the third double digit scorer is sophomore guard Kelvin Swims, who is averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent at the free throw line. 

Jesse Shaw, who is a former assistant at UMSL and played collegiately at Northwest Missouri State, is in his second season as Maryville's coach and he has compiled a 14-13 overall record with the Saints. 

Thursday's game will mark the 14th all-time meeting in the series with Maryville holding a 9-4 lead in the series. The Bearcats won the most recent meeting, 77-58, at Maryville on Feb. 18, 2021. McKendree trails 5-3 at Maryville and 4-1 at home in the series against the Saints.

Following Thursday's game, the Bearcats will return home to the Harry M. Statham Sports Center for a 3 p.m. GLVC contest on Saturday, Dec. 4 against Lewis University. Saturday's game will mark first home game of the season for the Bearcats in GLVC play.