INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The men's basketball team held on close, but could not overcome the deficit against the University of Indianapolis in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action on Friday, January 3rd at the Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Score: McKendree University 71, University of Indianapolis 75
Record: Bearcats 6-5, 3-1 GLVC | Greyhounds 7-5, 1-3 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
After not seeing the court since December 19th of 2024, McKendree drew first blood by scoring the game's first four points after junior forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) drove it inside for a layup, and senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) converted on a couple of early free throws. Then, UIndy would start to get into their own groove with a tango of two as senior guard Brody Whitaker gave his team their first three points, including an and-one of a mid-range jump shot, and freshman center Tucker Tornatta notching in the following five to eventually knot it up at eight a-piece in the early stages of the game. Right after the Greyhound spurt, senior forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia) – who was back from injury – checked right in and gave the Bearcats a personal six-point burst including a shot from distance to lead 14-8 with 13:22 remaining in half number one.
Moments later, it would become the UIndy-versus-Franklin exhibition as the Greyhounds would reel off eight straight points, including a three-ball from Brody Whitaker to regain the lead, but Franklin would power his way inside and draw the foul and convert on an old-fashioned three-point play. Yet, UIndy would answer on a 10-2 run to go up six with a pair of Franklin free throws sandwiched in between. With no relation, Bearcat senior guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) was foul shortly after on a three-point make and succeeded on the and-one opportunity at the line to bring his squad within two. However, the Greyhounds would end the half on a good note with a 13-5 run that was made up of seven made free throws from junior guard Dashawn Jackson as they would hold a 40-30 lead over McKendree at halftime.
Coming out of halftime, it was a two-man show for McKendree with Stein pouring in 16 points, including a trio of threes as freshman guard Rini Harris was the other Bearcat to score in the stretch with six points of his own. The 22-14 McKendree run took up the first nine and a half minutes of the second half as Tornatta continued to be a presence for his team, contributing half of their points in the span. The Bearcats would still find themselves down, but by only two, 52-54.
In the final 10 minutes of regulation, Stein and Meakes would do their best in keeping the deficit close while making final pushes to hopes to regain the lead. Yet, UIndy would not let them earn the lead for the entire second half of play, as they would hold serve on their home floor and win the conference matchup 75-71.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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Stein finished with a career-high 31 points while going an efficient 9-14 from the field, 4-7 from deep, and 9-12 from the line while also adding three assists, thre steals, a block, and a rebound.
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McKendree shot 37.5% from the field, 28.6% from distance, and 70.0% from the stripe while the Greyhounds ended with 37.9%, 30.4%, and 72.7% respectively.
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Stein's 31 points were the first 30-ball by a Bearcat since senior guard Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.) had 30 against Rockhurst University on December 2nd, 2024. It is the most points scored since Milos Vicentic dropped 41 against the University of Illinois Springfield on February 10th, 2024.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back on the court on Sunday, January 5th when they stay on the road to take on Lewis University at the Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Illinois with tip-off set for 3:00 PM CT.
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