TIFFIN, Ohio - The men's basketball team registered their first win of the season by defeating Tiffin University 63-44 on day one of the annual GLVC/G-MAC Crossover on Friday, November 14th at the Gillmor Center in Tiffin, Ohio.
Score: McKendree University 63, Tiffin University 44
Record: Bearcats 1-0, 0-0 GLVC | Dragons 0-1, 0-0 G-MAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
The three-point shots were friendly for the Bearcats in the early goings, which started out with freshman guard Andrew Moore (Montgomery County, Mo.) earning his first career points from long range. Senior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.), redshirt junior guard Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.), and sophomore forward Wyatt Zellers (Scottsburg, Ind.) each chipped one in from distance themselves to catapult to a 16-7 start.
A converted and-one opportunity after a lay-in by sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) continued the momentum for McKendree as Woods scored seven of his team's final nine points of the first half by knocking down the squad's 5th three-pointer of the contest plus a couple made shots from inside the paint to give the Bearcats a 28-24 edge into the extended break.
Moore would once again operate as the engine starter for McKendree, this time making his presence felt inside the arc with a layup and a tip-in off a miss shot as fifth-year forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) also contributed on a close one. Moments later, Franklin helped ignite a 7-0 run for his team as both sides made it hard for the other get too far ahead.
What was a seven-point spurt turned into a 14-2 run by the Bearcats with King and Harris continuing their presence in the paint as freshman guard Moses Wilson (Aurora, Ill.) and sophomore forward Joshua Schönbäck (Kierling, Austria) made connections each from the stripe to keep a commanding 48-31 lead.
The Dragons made every effort to get themselves back into the game, but were immediately responded to by Woods and a few more lay-ins inside plus a plethora of made free throws down the final stretch, as McKendree would tab win number one on the season, taking down Tiffin 63-44.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Woods led the game in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-14 (50.0%) shooting and a 2-for-6 clip (33.3%) from distance.
• Harris was the only other player to reach double figures as he ended with 10 points, but also was an important presence in other areas while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists with tallying a steal and a block.
• Moore, in his first game, was also a stat-stuffer with seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.
• McKendree shot 47.9% from the field, 25.0% from deep, and 66.7% from the line.
• The Bearcats doubled Tiffin's scoring in the paint, 36-18.
• McKendree had the advantage in points off turnovers (8-5), and fast break points (8-5).
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action tomorrow on Saturday with the team's second GLVC/G-MAC Crossover matchup against Malone University, which will tip off at 2:30 PM CT at the Gillmor Center in Tiffin, Ohio.
The game will be streamed live and on-demand on FloCollege (FloSports) with a subscription purchase. Live stats will also be made available and tickets are on sale for as little as $11.
Keep up with McKendree University Men's Basketball on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCmbb | #D2mbb
For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.
#BearcatsUnleashed
