LEBANON, Ill. - The men's basketball team fell against the University of Alabama in Huntsville as part of the McKendree DII Classic presented by State Farm on Thursday, November 21st, at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois. 

Earlier in the day, Lake Superior State University beat the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 59-46 in the classic. 

Score: McKendree University 62, University of Alabama in Huntsville 76 

Record: Bearcats 3-2, 0-0 GLVC | Chargers 3-1, 0-0 GSC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Looking to rebound against their second straight opponent, McKendree started out with a bang as senior guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) knocked down two straight three-pointers after an inside layup from Alabama-Huntsville. The opening flare would quickly vanish as Charger senior Tommy Murr put in eight straight points for his team which included a couple of three-pointers. Being up only by one, Bearcat senior guard Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.) was aggressive on the defensive end by which he swiped the ball away to notch in a couple of free throws on a fast break foul and followed up with a couple of paint shots to grow the lead up to six. A ferocious block by junior forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) led out to a pull-up shot beyond the arc by senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) to put McKendree up 22-17. 

Murr would get back into his hot zones by getting two straight buckets for Alabama-Huntsville to cut the deficit to two. Fellow Charger, graduate guard Blake Campbell made some electrifying plays for his squad, sinking a deep three-point shot and slamming in a wild putback dunk off one of his teammate's misses. Moments later Campbell would connect on a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 31 and then would drive in a layup to go up two. With minutes remaining in the first half, Stein would ignite himself a little 5-0 run to tie the game again. After a successful free throw, Campbell threw it down once more as he and a trey ball from senior guard Luke Burnett gave Alabama-Huntsville a slight 51-46 lead heading into halftime. 

Just like in the opening minutes of the first half, Whitaker drilled another three-point shot from the wing to help close the gap down to two. A couple of back-to-back dunks from the senior Chargers in forward Daniel Saylor and guard Dane Harding would put their squad back up five. The Bearcats would slide in a couple of layups from freshman guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) and Niesman and inch closer to the opposition's lead. Murr and Campbell would answer with a step-back jumper and a shot from distance respectively to put Alabama-Huntsville ahead 55-47 with 10:37 left in regulation. 

Franklin and Burnett would trade three-point baskets coming out of the second media timeout before Whitaker would connect on his fourth three-ball to pull within four. Moments later, Saylor would sail in for a two-handed flush and was followed by his teammate Burnett knocking down his third trey ball in the game. McKendree would get in a few more close-range shots, but the Chargers would connect on eight free throws in the final 3:30 to seal the road win, 76-62. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Niesman had a team-high for McKendree, scoring 18 points on an efficient 7-9 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line. He also rounded out the box score with four steals, two assists, and two rebounds. 

• Stein was not far off from his teammate Niesman, as he tied his career-high set from last season with 17 points, shooting 50% from the field and 2-5 from deep while collecting three rebounds, and three assists. 

• Whitaker tabbed in a game-high four three-pointers on seven shot attempts. That is one more than the rest of his teammates combined in the matchup. 

• Alabama-Huntsville too had three double-figure scorers where Murr lead the group substantially with 27 on 8-15 shooting and 3-5 from deep as he was a perfect 8-8 from the line with six rebounds and six assists. 

• Burnett and Campbell had 18 and 17 respectively for the Chargers. 

• McKendree shot 41.7% from the field, 31.8% from distance, and 55.6% from the stripe while the Chargers ended with 51.0%, 39.1%, and 88.2% respectively. 

• Despite the loss, McKendree outscored Alabama-Huntsville 34-30 in the paint. 

• It was the starters that carried both teams, as the Bearcats had four bench points while the Chargers had only two. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back on the court tomorrow on Friday, November 22nd when they host Lake Superior State University in the McKendree DII Classic Presented by State Farm at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM CT. 

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