ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The men's basketball team loses its second straight contest by four points, this time against Lewis University in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action on Sunday, January 5th at the Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Illinois. 

Score: McKendree University 81, Lewis University 85 

Record: Bearcats 6-6, 3-2 GLVC | Flyers 9-3, 4-1 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first three minutes of action saw both teams trying to get into their groove as sophomore forward Ryan Renfro scored the first four points for Lewis with a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper while McKendree's first points came from beyond the arc with a pair of three-pointers from the senior guards in Romeoville, Illinois native Destin Whitaker and Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.). Shortly after, the Flyers succeeded on a couple of two-point shots that would give themselves a narrow cushion.  Then came senior forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia), who would hit back-to-back shots for his Bearcats for five points and re-take a three-point lead. The next two-plus minutes of action saw a two-man 11-3 run by Lewis in junior guard Paxton Warden and graduate center Cem Kirciman in where Warden connected on a pair of back-to-back threes plus a lay-in, while Kirciman succeeded on an and-one layup in the midst. The Flyers would lead, 19-14 with 11 minutes to go in half number one. 

A minute after the monumental run by the Flyers, Bearcat junior guard Landon Zurliene (Fairfield, Ill.) and Lewis sophomore forward Ryan Renfro each drove in a subsequent layup for their respective squads with McKendree still down by five. It became the Whitaker-versus-Warden show in the next six minutes as the former scored 10 of the teams' 13 points within the span including a pair of three-pointers as the latter sank in back-to-back triples of his own. The Flyers closed out the first half on an 11-5 run with their senior guard Anthony Sayles Jr. Contributing five of them to lead, 44-34. 

The first four-plus minutes of the start of the second half became much more physical as both sides converted on two and-one shots at the rim with juniors in guard Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.) and forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) each earning one for McKendree while Warden and Renfro each gave Lewis one to give them a 14-point lead. Subsequently after, four Bearcats would contribute on a huge 9-0 run to pull within five. A plethora of mad free throws kept the Flyers ahead by a smidge, leading 61-57 with 10:37 remaining in regulation. 

Both sides began the final 10 minutes with a pair of layups each, not giving either side an advantage until the Bearcats embarked on a 9-4 run with three straight made three-pointers from junior guard Cha'Vez Woods with two of them and Zurliene with the other as McKendree would snag a one-point lead. Yet it would be the last time the visiting Bearcats would have the lead, as Lewis ignited an 11-3 run of their own with back-to-back layups from Renfro to put them up seven until freshman forward Jakob Fredricksen (Elizabethtown, Ky.) dropped in an and-one for McKendree in last hopes for a comeback. The Flyers would run away in the final two minutes of action and win the conference matchup 85-81. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Niesman led all McKendree scorers with 20 points while going 4-7 from three-point range. He also added four rebounds, three assists and three steals. 

• Whitaker notched in a season-high in the setback, dropping in 13 points on 3-4 shooting with all shots coming from deep, plus four mad free throws and a steal. 

• Woods had 11 points including a trio of threes made in seven shot attmpts. 

• Zurliene tabbed a career-high in points (10) and rebounds (7) on 4-7 from the floor, plus a steal. 

• Lewis had four players reach double-figures with Warden leading the way with 26 points on 10-16 shooting and 5-10 from long range with six assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals. 

• Renfro was not too far behind with 22 points on 9-15 shooting with an abundant 16 rebounds and three assists. 

• McKendree shot 42.6% from the field, 39.4% from distance, and 84.2% from the stripe while the Flyers ended with 49.2%, 36.8%, and 77.8% respectively. 

• Despite the loss, the Bearcats dominated the game in points off of turnovers (+13), bench points (+14), and fast break points (+5). 

• Lewis was +8 in second-chance points and was +20 in points from inside the paint. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back on the court on Thursday, January 9th when they host William Jewell College at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois with tip-off set for 7:30 PM CT. 

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