SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The (RV) men's basketball team could not come out on top in a three-point shootout against the University of Illinois Springfield and giving them their first setback in conference play this season on Thursday, December 4th at The Recreation and Athletic Center in Springfield, Illinois.
Score: McKendree University 58, University of Illinois Springfield 63
Record: Bearcats 5-2, 1-1 GLVC | Prairie Stars 6-2, 3-0 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
McKendree got the ball rolling with the game's first eight points after sophomore forward Wyatt Zellers (Scottsburg, Ind.) swished in a three-point shot from the corner as guards Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) and Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.) earned their first point of the contest at the rim. After a couple of successful possessions by the UIS offense, senior forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) got himself on the board with a long-ball trey to give the Bearcats the early 13-5 edge.
Franklin would not cool down as he scored five more straight for his squad to reach a double-figure lead. The next eight and a half minutes saw the Prairie Stars light it up from deep with six made three-pointers to swing the momentum all in their favor.
Down by eight, McKendree would respond to the three-ball barrage with two of their own, with Franklin knocking down his third of the game with sniper guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) getting himself on the board with one as well. With 39 ticks left in the first half, Woods drilled another from distance as the Bearcats, but a layup at the other end of the floor would keep UIS ahead, leading into halftime up 36-32.
Once again, Woods would showcase his marksmanship by opening the second half of play with three-pointer number three from the senior guard and come to within one point of the opposition.
The space and pace flow would be in control of UIS throughout the majority of the final 20 minutes of play, but the Bearcats would not back down as a putback layup by the freshman guard Moses Wilson (Aurora, Ill.) sparked the energy into his teammates and ignited a huge 14-6 run that freshman guard Andrew Moore (Montgomery County, Mo.) capped with a contested lay-in to be back down by one point to the Prairie Stars with only 21 seconds remaining in regulation.
UIS made due on their free throws after a quick intentional foul by McKendree to get the ball back for a chance to tie it. However, the Bearcats missed on a layup attempt, leading to another intentional foul and sealing any chances for a comeback as the Prairie Stars would hand McKendree their first GLVC loss of the season, 58-63.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Franklin led all scorers on both sides with 19 points on 7-for-15 (46.6%) shooting, including a 4-for-7 (57.1%) mark from beyond the arc as he supplemented with 11 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double along with an assist and a steal.
• Woods would tab his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game and sixth of the season with 15 points, plus five boards, five assists, and a block.
• McKendree shot 36.7% from the field, 32.1% from deep, and 55.6% from the line.
• The Bearcats outscored UIS in the paint 26-10.
• McKendree led 5-3 in points off turnovers.
• The Bearcats' nine three-pointers made are a season-high.
UP NEXT
McKendree will take a week to prepare for their make-up game at Maryville University, which has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 11th with a 6:00 PM CT tip at the Moloney Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.
The contest will be streamed live and on-demand on the GLVC Sports Network via a subscription/download purchase, as live stats will also be available for fans to tune in. Tickets can be purchased through Maryville's athletic website, with general admission going for $12 each.
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