LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University men's basketball is on the road this week with a 7:30 p.m. game on Thursday at Southwest Baptist and a 3 p.m. game on Saturday at Rockhurst. The Bearcats look to extend their win streak to three after posting a 68-64 win over William Jewell and a 90-88 win over Truman State on their home court.
McKendree is 11-10 overall with a 7-7 record in the Great Lakes Valley conference following the two wins at home.
ABOUT MCKENDREE
In conference standings, McKendree is third in field goal percentage (47.8 percent), fourth in thee-point percentage (36.6 percent), and sixth in free throw percentage (74.3 percent). In then last four games, McKendree has shot over 46 percent from the field.
Leading McKendree in scoring are four Bearcats averaging double digits as senior guard Bryson Bultman averages 16.5 points, junior forward Milos Vicentic averages 15.6 points, senior guard Eric Powell II averages 12.2 points, and sophomore forward Caleb Zurliene averages 11.0 points. Zurliene led in scoring for McKendree's last two wins, averaging 29.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Bultman is second in the GLVC for scoring and assists while Vicentic ranks fifth. Zurliene sits fourth in field goal percentage, netting 58 percent of tries from the field.
Defensively, McKendree leads in defensive rebounding (27.38 per game), is second in blocked shots (3.81), and fourth in field goal defense, holding opponents to 43.1 percent.
Zurliene leads the league with 2.19 blocks per game while Bultman and Zurliene are fifth and sixth in defensive rebounds, respectively.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
Southwest Baptist holds a 15-7 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the GLVC as SBU claimed a 85-59 win over Missouri S&T on Saturday. In December, McKendree and SBU met for the first time this season, SBU coming away with a 79-66 win.
As a team, SBU ranks second in the conference in scoring (77.6 points per game), third in free throw percentage (77.4 percent), fourth in field goal percentage (47.1 percent), second in three-point percentage (37.2 percent), and first in assists (15.82 per game).
Leading Southwest Baptist in scoring is senior guard Quinn Nelson sinking 13.9 points per game while sophomore guard RJ Crawford averages 12.6 points. Junior guard Mitch Ganote leads the conference just above Bultman with 5.41 assists per game.
Defensively, SBU holds opponents to an average of 68.5 points while allowing just 37.2 percent of shots from beyond the arc. In defensive rebounding, SBU ranks third at 26.23 rebounds per game.
In all-time history, Southwest Baptist leads McKendree 3-1.
ABOUT ROCKHURST
The Hawks sport a 13-9 overall record and an 8-6 record in the GLVC as they defeated UMSL on Saturday, 85-77. When McKendree and Rockhurst last met on Dec. 1, 2022, the Bearcats claimed the win, 73-62.
Rockhurst ranks top five in three categories in the GLVC including free throw percentage (76.1 percent), rebounding (36.4 per game), and steals (6.73 per game). Through the season, the Hawks have shot 43.3 percent from the field.
Junior forward Rich Byhre leads Rockhurst and the league in scoring average (18.1 points per game) and is second in rebounding (8.7 per game). Freshman forward Timaris Brown and junior guard Jake Auer also average 11 points each for the Hawks.
Against McKendree, Rockhurst narrowly leads the all-time series 6-5.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back on its home court next week to face Missouri S&T and Drury.
