ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The men's basketball team finished 2-0 at the annual GLVC/G-MAC Crossover with a convincing win over Malone University on Saturday, November 9th, at the Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Illinois. 

Score: McKendree University 84, Malone University 70 

Record: Bearcats 2-0, 0-0 GLVC | Pioneers 0-2, 0-0 G-MAC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

McKendree would find itself in a tight first half on day two of the crossover. Senior guard Joey Niesman started out hot for the Bearcats, scoring 12 of the team's first 24 points where they took an early nine-point lead over Malone. The Pioneers got a couple three-pointers from graduate guard Tahleik Walker and one from junior center Caleb Conard, but they would still find themselves trailing 27-20 midway through the first 20 minutes. 

Then, enter the junior forward from Cobden, Illinois, Noah Franklin. In the final eight-plus minutes until halftime, he put the squad on his shoulders by scoring their last 11 points which included a shot from beyond the arc and a follow-up tip-in from his own missed shot. Malone did well enough to close out the half on a 14-2 run behind nine points from graduate guard Tre Baumgardner III, but they would find themselves heading into the locker room down slightly, 42-40. 

The Bearcats would put up another 42 points, this time in half number two as they started to pull away from the opposition early on. The Pioneers came out on a good note, connecting on a layup from Conrad and a three-pointer from graduate guard Simon Blair. Yet, their one-point lead would quickly vanish, as McKendree went on a substantial 16-2 run with senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) knocking down a couple jumpers to give his squad a sizable 60-47 lead. 

Malone would try their best to make one more final push to close the gap with Baumgardner connecting on shots from around the court. However, it was too late for the Pioneers as Franklin, Niesman, and company carried out their lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation to come out victorious, 84-70 and remain unbeaten. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Franklin's 26 points is a career-high for him in three seasons, as he shot 8-13 from the field and 3-6 from distance. 

• Niesman also broke his NCAA career-high with seven steals as a key distributor on the defensive end. Not to mention his heavy lifting of 19 points, four assists, and two huge blocks. 

• Stein too was very much efficient, netting in 16 points on 6-11 shooting, and rounding out with six rebounds and five assists. 

• Malone had four double-digit scorers in the loss, most notably being Baumgardner, who had 16 while going 2-5 from deep and pulling down nine boards, dishing out two assists, and collecting two takeaways. 

• McKendree shot 54.0% from the field, 40.7% from distance, and 76.0% from the stripe while the Pioneers ended with 50.0%, 42.1%, and 66.7% respectively. 

• The Bearcats took advantage of the Pioneers' mistakes, as they came away with 24 points off their turnovers. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back on the court on Wednesday, November 13th when they face Blackburn College at the friendly confines of Harry M. Statham Sports Center at 7:00 PM CT. 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
#BearcatsUnleashed