TIFFIN, Ohio – The men's basketball team has left the annual GLVC/G-MAC Crossover 2-0 for a second straight year as they took down Malone University 65-53 on Saturday, November 15th at the Gillmor Center in Tiffin, Ohio.
Score: McKendree University 65, Malone University 53
Record: Bearcats 2-0, 0-0 GLVC | Pioneers 1-1, 0-0 G-MAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
Malone drew first blood in the neutral-site contest, but sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Illinois) responded with McKendree's first three points. Subsequently after, senior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) knocked down his squad's first shot from beyond the arc to help open up a 6-2 lead in the early goings.
A pair of back-to-back triples by the big men in fifth-year Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) and sophomore Wyatt Zellers (Scottsburg, Ind.) catapulted the Bearcats to a 10-0 run to lead the Pioneers by 12. Harris and Woods would keep having their presence felt since the opening tip against Tiffin University Friday afternoon, as the former would convert on three lay-ins inside while the latter found himself in close range as well and capitalized on an and-one opportunity.
With McKendree looming up by eight points with just a handful of minutes remaining in the initial half, freshman guard Andrew Moore (Montgomery County, Mo.) threw down a thunderous dunk as Woods followed with a shot inside the painted area and his second three-point shot to give the Bearcats a compelling 36-23 lead heading into halftime.
The Pioneers opened the second half with eight straight points to quickly narrow the gap before Franklin and sophomore forward Joshua Schönbäck (Kierling, Austria) made themselves known inside as well to stop the bleeding. Several minutes later, Moore nailed a pair of long-distance shots to put his team back up by nine.
With 1:26 remaining in regulation, Franklin came in the clutch with a tip-in layup and followed up with a slam dunk in his next possession to put the game away for good and take down Malone for a second straight year, 65-53.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Harris led all scorers on both sides with 22 points on an efficient 8-for-12 (66.6%) shooting, along with nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
• Woods finished with 13 points along with a a pair of assists, a rebound, and a steal.
• Moore followed up his seven-point debut with a double-double of 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting (40.0%) and 10 boards plus a trio of assists and two takeaways. He is the first Bearcat to record a double-double since Luka Mateski had 28 points and 13 rebounds on March 6th, 2025, against Missouri S&T.
• McKendree shot 47.1% from the field, 35.3% from deep, and 64.7% from the line.
• The Bearcats lead 34-28 in points inside the paint.
• McKendree had the advantage in second-chance points (11-7) and fast break points (12-8).
• This is the second straight year the program has started the season 2-0 and the second consecutive year going unbeaten in the GLVC/G-MAC Crossover.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action next week on Friday, November 21st for their season's home opener against the Trojans of Hannibal-LaGrange University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois at 7:00 PM CT.
The game will be streamed live and on-demand on GLVCSN via a subscription/download purchase. Live stats will also be made available as tickets are on sale for both single-game and season bundles.
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.
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