BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The men's basketball team came into their matchup at Ferris State University with the greater amount of momentum as they did enough to escape the Bulldogs in a notable regional win on Friday, December 19th at the Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Score: McKendree University 75, Ferris State University 70
Record: Bearcats 8-2, 2-1 GLVC | Bulldogs 3-5, 1-1 GLIAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two programs, which met only twice prior to Friday's battle, each knocked in a three-pointer to start off as the senior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) threw down a fast break dunk to ignite himself with a self 6-0 spurt. Moments later, sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) scored six straight points himself with a few tough layups inside.
With the Bulldogs keeping up to match McKendree's intensity, guard Moses Wilson (Aurora, Ill.) would fly out of nowhere and flush in a putback dunk off a miss to put his team up by seven. Back-to-back shots by freshman guard Andrew Moore (Montgomery County, Mo.) extended the Bearcats' lead to fifteen with a little under six minutes in the first half.
Yet, Wilson would not stop there, as the freshman sensation would keep going to work in the paint, scratching for every crease near the rim and closed out the half with three more lay-ins to reach 12 points in the first 20 minutes of play and lead the squad to a compelling 45-32 lead heading into the break.
The Bearcats grew the lead to 16 coming into the second half of play, with Wilson once again displaying his athleticism and slamming in another fast break opportunity dunk, while fifth-year forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) stepped outside the arc for a triple. The McKendree starting five kept Ferris State at a distance, with Woods canning shots from the volume over the next several minutes of action.
Down by 13 with approximately six minutes left in regulation, Ferris State will go on a blaze with a 14-2 run to come within three points of McKendree, who were running out of ways to contain the Bulldogs on their home floor.
With 18 ticks left on the clock, and the ball literally in the Bearcats' court, Harris wound wind down the clock as much as possible and looked to take a tightly contested shot attempt– but dumped it off at the last second to Franklin, who was waiting patiently inside and threw it down with force while drawing the foul to swing energy back into the McKendree hearts.
A stellar defensive stance in the final moments led to the Bulldogs in taking a wild jump shot and never even touched rim, as it would give the Bearcats their eighth win of the season and take down Ferris State on the road for the second time in three years, 75-70.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• In just his first season at the collegiate level, Moore has garnered his second double-double with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds (five offensive) on 6-for-11 (54.5%) from the floor and 2-for-4 (50.0%) from three.
• Wilson led the team in scoring with a career-high 18 points to go with seven boards and a pair of steals while shooting a very efficient 7-for-10 (70.0%) from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line (100%).
• Woods rounded up the double-figure scoring with 15 points on a 7-for-9 (77.7%) mark despite not hitting a three for the first time all season. The senior also collected a trio of rebounds, a pair of steals, and one caring assist.
• McKendree shot an even 50.0% from the field, 20.0% from deep, and 71.4% from the line.
• The team had a 37-26 advantage on the boards.
• McKendree was dominant in all specialty areas in the game, including points off turnovers (22-10), second chance points (23-4), bench points (24-6), and points in the paint (42-26).
• The Bearcats will finish their 2025-26 slate against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponents with a 2-0 record.
• McKendree's 8-2 start to the season is still the program's best since the the 2017-18 season, when they started 10-2.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be right back in action on Sunday, December 21st, when they stay in the state of Michigan to take on the Chargers of Hillsdale College at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena, with tip-time set for 12:00 PM CT/1:00 PM ET.
Fans can tune in live or on-demand on FloSports with a subscription purchase required, as live stats will also be provided. Tickets for the game can be found on Hillsdale's athletic website.
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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