LEBANON, Ill. – The (RV) men's basketball team got its mindset back in the right direction in their return to the friendly confines of the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois in a physical 69-62 victory over the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University on Thursday, January 15th. 

Score: McKendree University 69, Southwest Baptist University 62 

Record: McK Bearcats 12-4, 5-3 GLVC | SBU Bearcats 9-7, 3-5 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Senior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) got things rolling in the battle of the Bearcats by swishing in a three-pointer from the wing, as freshman guard was able to tack on a pair from the charity stripe to give McKendree the game's first five points. 

Yet, it did not take long for Southwest Baptist to come out of hibernation, as they responded immensely by taking control from a 13-2 run. Senior guard Caleb Burton (O'Fallon, Ill.) stopped the bleeding momentarily with hitting a shot from the distance before SBU's Brandon Moore canned a pair of triples in a response. 

The tides would shift again to a great extent as sophomore forward Joshua Schönbäck fueled a McKendree 21-4 spurt to regain the momentum in their favor as the Austrian displayed his volume shooting with nine points within the stretch, as senior forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) was able to battle from inside the paint and earn a trio of layups over the opposing defense. 

After another pair of consecutive threes by the SBU offense, they were able to dwindlee the McKendree lead to just four, but Franklin would not be denied of going out on the wrong foot as he powered his way to the bucket once again to give his squad a 35-29 lead heading into halftime. 

Just like he drew it up in half number one, Woods would begin the second by banging another three-pointer, while Franklin followed with his usual forte with another paint shot to bring him to 10 points. A Handful of minutes after, the latter would sink in his 12th triple of the season as Schönbäck made himself known inside for two while the sophomore would make his second money ball in as many tries in the game. 

With SBU still keeping themselves within arm's reach by continuing their hot streak beyond the arc, Woods would keep the boat afloat by scoring seven of his team's nexxt eight points over the next three minutes. A close-range jumper and a pair of made free throws trimmed the McKendree lead to just two with a hair under seven minutes remaining in regulation. 

Right on cue, Franklin was there to push another one in once more as sophomore forward Wyatt Zellers (Scottsburg, Ind.) nailed his first field goal, coming from beyond the arc to extend their lead back to seven. With the visiting Bearcats looking to make a final push. Franklin from Cobden swished in the dagger far from the top of the key to seal the game away from his former school as McKendree would hold on to win the conference tilt 69-62 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Woods marked his 13th double-figure scoring game of the season with a game-high 19 points by going 3-for-8 (37.5%) from long range while collecting four rebounds and an assist. 

• Franklin finished with 18 points on an efficient 8-for-12 (66.7%) shooting and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from deep to go with a trio of boards and a pair of assists. 

• Schönbäck rounded out the double-digit scoring for McKendree with 14 points coming from 6-for-9 (66.7%) shooting. 

• McKendree shot 48.0% from the field, 42.9% from deep, and 54.5% from the line. 

• The McKendree Bearcats out-paced SBU in points off turnovers (12-9), bench points (19-15), points in the paint (30-18), and fast break points (6-0). 

UP NEXT 

McKendree will be back in action on Saturday, January 17th, when they host Drury University for the program's Alumni Day at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois, with tip-time set for 3:00 PM CT. 

Fans can tune in live or on-demand on the Bearcats' GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required, as live stats will also be provided. Tickets can be found on the team schedule at mckbearcats.com. 

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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