LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University men's basketball will begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play this weekend by playing games in Missouri at Truman State and William Jewell College.
 
The Bearcats will open its 2022-23 league schedule with a 3 p.m. game in Kirksville, Mo., against Truman State, before traveling to Liberty, Mo., for a 7:30 p.m. contest against William Jewell.
 
McKendree enters the weekend having won two straight games and is sporting a 2-2 overall record following an impressive 69-58 road win on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at Union (Tenn.) University. The win over Union came three days after the Bearcats collected its first win of the season with a 94-65 home victory over Culver-Stockton.
 
In the win against Union, who advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional Tournament, in its most recent action, the Bearcats put five players in double figures and a defense that held the Bulldogs to 35 percent shooting from the field and a 2-for-20 (10 percent) effort from the 3-point line.
 
Leading the way offensively in the win was senior guard Eric Powell II (Lexington, Ky./Asbury University) tallied 15 points, while three players – junior Milos Vicentic (Belgrade, Serbia/OKK Belgrade), senior guard Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) and senior guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) – each had 11 points and sophomore forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia/Adams State) tallied 10 points. Bultman added 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and seventh of his career.
 
Against the Bulldogs, McKendree's offense shot 46 percent from the field, including shooting 50 percent from both the field and 3-point line in the second half, and 41 percent from long distance in the contest. The Bearcats, who have defeated Union the past two seasons, hit 13 treys in the game and that marked the third time in four games this season that the Bearcats have made 10 or more treys in a game.
 
On the season, the Bearcats are one of the top scoring teams in the league as they are averaging 80.8 points per game and have scored over 90 points in two of its first four games. Along with being third in the league in scoring, the Bearcats are fourth in the league in both field goal percentage (48.5) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.5) and they have made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game three times, including a season-high 16 in its lone home game last Friday against Culver-Stockton. McKendree's 11.8 made treys per game, though, is tops in the league.
 
The Bearcats are also third in the league in assists as they are averaging 16.5 per game and have recorded 66 in four games with Bultman leading the way with a league-leading 7.3 assists per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.27 per game.
 
Defensively, the Bearcats are allowing 75 points per game and their opponents are shooting 44 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line and the Bearcats are getting outrebounded by less than a board per game and are forcing just 11.5 turnovers per game and has blocked 11 shots in four games with sophomore forward Caleb Zurliene (Aviston, Ill./Purdue Northwest) having blocked six of those 11 shots.
 
Meanwhile, Truman State comes into Saturday's action sporting a 3-3 overall record and the Bulldogs have dropped two straight games after opening the season with three wins in its first four games. One of those losses was a 92-47 loss at No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 20.
 
As a team, Truman State, who was tabbed to finish fourth in the Preseason GLVC Coaches Poll, is averaging 63.3 points per game and is allowing 74.8 points per game. The Bulldogs, who advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament a season ago, has been held under 55 points in three of six games, including scoring a season low 42 points last time out at Emporia State.
 
Truman is shooting 41 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and 87 percent from the free throw line. The Bulldogs are also getting outrebounded by nearly a board a game and are forcing 9.0 turnovers per game, while averaging 11.7 turnovers per game.
 
Leading the way for TSU is redshirt junior guard/forward Elijah Hazekamp, who is averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line and is a perfect 19-for-19 from the free throw line. In addition to Hazekamp, senior guard Hunter Strait is averaging 10.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and is shooting 37 percent from the field and 93 percent at the free throw line, while sophomore guard Trey Shearer is averaging just under 10 points per game as he is averaging 8.8 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field and 41 percent from the 3-point. Shearer has made 14 treys on the season, which is tied for the team lead.
 
Truman State is coached by former University of Iowa guard Jeff Horner, who has posted an 80-39 record in his fifth season as the Bulldogs head coach. Along with being 80-39 overall, Horner has posted a 56-20 record in GLVC play.
 
Saturday's game will mark the 10th all-time meeting in the series as Truman State holds an 8-1 edge in the series, but McKendree split last year's two games as the Bearcats won 74-73 in Lebanon but fell 78-63 in Kirksville to the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, William Jewell, who hosts Maryville on Saturday, before hosting the Bearcats on Monday, comes into the weekend sporting a 2-4 overall record after suffering a 63-62 loss on Wednesday to Southwestern Oklahoma State at the Drury Thanksgiving Classic. That loss to Southwestern Oklahoma State came one day after picking up its second win of the season with a 90-85 victory over Arkansas Tech. Jewell's other win this season was a 90-76 victory in the season opener over Davenport.
 
The Cardinals, who were tabbed to finish fifth in the Preseason GLVC Coaches Poll, is averaging 70.7 points per game offensively and allowing 73.0 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line. In addition, they are shooting 69 percent from the free throw line. Jewell is outrebounding its foes by 2.3 boards per game and are averaging 8.3 3-pointers per game on the year.
 
Junior guard Jordan Jermain is one of three Cardinals averaging in double figures on the season as he is averaging 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 47 percent from the 3-point line and 84 percent from the free throw line.
 
In addition to Jermain, fifth-year senior guard Mason Alexander is averaged 13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and is shooting 35 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line, while senior guard Kobe McKinley is averaging 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field. Alexander has made 17 treys this season and is averaging 2.8 made treys per game.
 
Fifth-year senior 6-foot-9 center Heri Tshiyoyo is averaging 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field and has blocked a team-best eight shots.
 
The Cardinals are coached by Chris McCabe, who is in his fourth season at Jewell and has compiled a 32-53 overall record and is 19-41 in GLVC games.
 
Monday's game with Jewell will mark just the ninth game all-time in the series with McKendree leading 5-3 following its 72-59 win last season on Jewell's home court. The Bearcats have won three straight games in the series with all three of the those wins coming at Jewell.
 
Following this weekend's games at Truman State and William Jewell, the Bearcats will return home to host Rockhurst and Southwest Baptist for GLVC games on Thursday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.