LEBANON, Ill. - The men's basketball team will keep their pedal to the metal this week when they trek up to the University of Illinois Springfield on Thursday, February 6th at 7:30 PM CT at The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) in Springfield, Illinois. No contests will take place for the Bearcats this Saturday/Sunday.
HISTORY SHOWCASE
Against UIS, it will be the 34th all-time meeting between the two programs, as McKendree won the most recent game earlier this season, 92-82 on December 7th. They split the last four matchups prior and 6-4 in the last 10. In the series that dates back to 2006, the Bearcats hold a narrow 17-16 lead all-time.
BEARCATS CURRENTLY
McKendree comes in after eking out a pair of comebacks last week on the road as they erased two consecutive 15-point deficits. They currently sit at 10-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play.
In Thursday's game at Maryville University, the game began neck-and-neck throughout the first half of play as junior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) knocked down a plethora of shots from around the court as the Saints would hold a slight 30-28 lead at halftime. Maryville widened the gap on a 19-6 run to begin half number two, but the Bearcats and senior forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia) responded with an 8-2 and a 11-2 boosting runs to claw right back into it. Down by two with roughly two seconds left, Meakes hoisted a desperation step-back three-pointer that clanged off the rim and into the fingertips of senior guard Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.), who tipped it in at the buzzer to send the match into overtime. Meakes, Niesman, and sophomore guard Luka Mateski (Belgrade, Serbia) took over the extra five minutes of play by sinking in a handful of shots and coming away with the 78-76 overtime win. Meakes led the Bearcats with a career-high 19 points on 6-12 shooting while going 4-6 from three and 3-4 from the line. Mateski finished close behind with 18 points in going 5-6 from the field and 8-11 from the charity stripe. He also had six rebounds with four being offensive. Niesman and Woods rounded out the double-digit scoring for McKendree as the former ended with 11 points and seven rebounds while the latter had 10 points with a pair of three-pointers.
In Saturday's game at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the Tritons started the game on a 7-2 run in the first couple minutes of action. However, senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) and the Bearcats ignited a 13-0 run to answer. Senior guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) knocked down a pair of three-point shots as Meakes also nailed one in, but UMSL would embark on a 16-0 run to lead at halftime, 37-29. A 14-7 run by the Tritons pushed them ahead even further, making it difficult to get back into reach. Yet, Meakes and his shooting ability played hero in the final seven and a half minutes of regulation where he sunk in three straight shots from beyond the arc to help a 16-2 run to give McKendree a four-point cushion. The Bearcats defended well at the end and escape with another thrilling and close victory of 68-66. Stein led McKendree with 16 points on 6-11 shooting and 3-5 from distance while collecting six assists and five rebounds. Meakes, followed closely with 15 points as he shot 4-9 from three along with four assists and three rebounds. Niesman has 12 points while going 4-8 from the field and a team-high six rebounds. Whitaker finished with a perfect shooting night, going 3-3 from beyond the arc.
Stein and Niesman lead the team in scoring with 15.5 and 12.4 points per game respectively. The former's points per contest rank ninth in the entire GLVC to go along with a 12th-best 45.4 field goal percentage. Stein also holds steady in the top five in his facilitating abilities with his assists per game (5th – 3.9), total assists (5th – 78), and assist-to-turnover ratio (5th – 2.05). Niesman on the other hand continues to be the X Factor on the defensive side of the ball, where he picks away 1.7 steals a game (3rd in the GLVC) and totaling him at 33 (5th).
The Swiss Army Knife in Stein has scored in double-figures in 15 of the team's 20 games while pulling down 3+ rebounds in 13 and dishing out 3+ assists in 15.
The team overall is ranked in the top-five within the conference in several statistical categories, including free throw percentage (4th – 75.0%), three-point makes per game (4th – 9.3), turnovers per game (4th – 10.7), free throw makes per game (5th – 13.4), and three-point percentage (5th – 36.7).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
University of Illinois Springfield| Thursday, February 6th, 7:30 PM CT
Last Matchup: W, 92-82 on 12/7/2024 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
UIS currently sits at 10-11 overall and 5-8 in conference play. They dropped their last two games on the road to UMSL and to Lincoln University (Mo.) by an average of 11.5-point margin. They have had a roller coaster of a season thus far, not winning or losing more than two straight at any point. The Prairie Stars lost to McKendree earlier in the season, 82-92 on December 7th.
The Prairie Stars bring in four players averaging double-figures, with senior guard Max Kunnert leading abundantly at 16.1 points per game while the three others fall between 10.5 and 11.9 a game. Kunnert's points per game rank sixth in the GLVC, while his 325 total points are fifth. He lives well from beyond the arc as he makes 2.6 three-pointers a game (51 total) on a 35.7% clip.
With much of a personnel presence in deep-shooting on the offensive end, UIS as a team is first in the GLVC – and sixth in the entire nation – in their three-point percentage of 39.4%. The Prairie Stars are also top-five in the conference in effective field goal percentage (2nd – 55.5%), fouls per game (2nd – 15.5), field goal percentage (3rd – 48.9%), three-point percentage defense (4th – 32.3%), free throw attempts per game (5th – 19.0), and rebounding margin (5th – 4.0).
TUNE IN-FO
at University of Illinois Springfield
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [UIS]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [UIS]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [UIS]
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