LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree men's basketball looks for their third and fourth conference wins of the season this week as they host University of Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. and Maryville on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
The Bearcats enter the two contests with a 6-7 overall record and a 2-4 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference following two conference setbacks to Drury and Missouri S&T last week. Meanwhile, UMSL sports a 13-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in the GLVC and Maryville is currently 10-5 and 3-4 in the conference.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
As a team, McKendree has tallied an average of 75.8 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from the three-point line, and 75.2 percent from the free throw line. McKendree ranks third in the GLVC in field goal and free throw percentages as well as three pointers made with 133 total on the season. Against Drury, the Bearcats shot a season-high 50.0 percent from the three-point line, hitting nine of 18 shots beyond the arc.
Leading the Bearcats in scoring is junior forward Miloš Vicentic with 15.8 points per game and a team-high 58.4 percent shooting percentage from the field, ranking fourth in scoring and fifth in field goal percentage in the conference.
Two more Bearcats are in double-figure averages as senior guard
Bryson Bultman averages 15.8 points and senior guard
Eric Powell II records a 14.3-point average. In McKendree's last two conference games, Bultman combined for 49 points, including a season-high 25 points and 12 rebounds against Drury. Bultman also leads in assists per game with 5.69 while Powell is second in three-pointers made, averaging 3.15 per game.
Defensively, McKendree is second overall in the conference in defensive rebounds and blocked shots as sophomore forward
Caleb Zurliene leads the GLVC with 1.77 blocks per game.
ABOUT THE TRITONS
In 2022, UMSL finished the season with at 26-7 overall and 14-5 in the GLVC as they claimed their first-ever conference tournament championship. With a 13-1 record, UMSL tops the GLVC with its only loss to Rockhurst last Thursday.
As a team, UMSL ties for third in scoring with 78.9 points per game, ranking first in the GLVC, while allowing just 65.0 points to opponents. The Tritons have shot 52 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from the three-point line, both of which lead the conference, and 74.9 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, the Tritons top the conference in steals per game at 9.5 per game.
Three Tritons average double figures as redshirt junior guard Isaiah Fuller tallies 13.9 points, graduate student guard Bowen Sandquist records 11.9 and graduate student Victor Nwagbaraocha nets 10.1 points per game for UMSL.
ABOUT THE SAINTS
Last season, Maryville posted a 12-17 overall record and a 6-14 record in the GLVC, falling in the first round of the conference tournament to Lewis.
As a team, the Saints are shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 36.9 from the three-point line, and 66.8 percent from the foul stripe. Maryville averages 75.3 points per game while allowing an average of 72.2 points to opponents.
Leading the Saints are four players in double digits as sophomore guard Ben Palacios averages 14.3 points, senior guard Kelvin Swims tallies 12.3 points, junior guard Dewayne Vass nets 11.8, and redshirt junior guard Ari Jackson records 10.9 points per game. Vass and Swims rank third and fourth respectively in the GLVC for assists per game.
Following this week's games, the Bearcats will host Lewis next Thursday on their home court again in a 7:30 p.m. game at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
