LEBANON, Ill. – The (RV) men's basketball program will put its team to the test this week as they will face the reigning GLVC regular season champions and No.9 Missouri S&T on Thursday, January 22nd at 7:30 PM CT in Rolla, Missouri, and will then trek to Jefferson City to battle last season's conference tournament champions Lincoln University on Saturday, January 24th with tip-time slated for 3:00 PM CT. 

Fans can watch both games live or on-demand on the respective institutions' GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required. Live stats will also be made available to view online. Tickets can also be purchased from the opposing teams' athletic websites for various prices. 

[Missouri S&T] [Lincoln] 

SCOUTING THE LAST OUTINGS 

The team picked up two solid wins on their home floors this past week by taking down Southwest Baptist University in a Bearcat Battle 69-62, and followed up with a 89-76 victory against Drury University on the program's Alumni Day to move to 13-4 on the season with a positive 6-3 mark in GLVC play.  

Against SBU, 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. Sophomore forward Joshua Schönbäck fueled a McKendree 21-4 spurt to regain the momentum in their favor after a SBU spurt, as the Austrian displayed his volume shooting with nine points within the stretch while senior forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) was able to battle from inside the paint and earn a trio of layups over the opposing defense and continue to battle inside for 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. 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 next eight points over the next three minutes. With the visiting Bearcats looking to make a final push, Franklin the Cobden native 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. 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.  

Against Drury, Franklin got his team going early by contributing on six of the team's first eight points as they found themselves in a battle with the visiting Panthers. After already seeing the game's fifth lead change in only five minutes into the game, the Bearcats pushed ahead to a five-point lead after redshirt sophomore Jakob Fredricksen (Elizabethtown, Ky.) drilled in the corner three, while sophomore guard Rini  Harris got himself on the board with a paint shot via an offensive board. Schönbäck halted the opposition's run as he was able to get his defender in the air off a pump fake and convert the and-one opportunity. Fredricksen would keep on displaying his long-range skillset, where he canned his second triple of the night from the top of the key to give McKendree a 38-34 lead heading into halftime. A 12-2 spurt by the mighty Bearcats extended the gap to 14 points in their favor with Franklin being the opening focal point once again for the team as he contributed on the first nine of such. The beauty would not stop there, as Harris and Woods connected on a pair of shots from beyond the arc in back-to-back possessions to lead 56-41. With a hair under two minutes remaining, redshirt sophomore guard Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.) was able to seal the deal with a short-range floater from the left side, as the Bearcats would cruise on to with their 13th win of the season and sixth in GLVC play with a 89-76 victory. Franklin went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from long distance to finish the win with 24 points, along with six rebounds and an assist. Harris followed closely with 21 points of his own on 7-for-14 (50.0%) shooting, while collecting three boards, two steals, and an assist. Woods rounded out the double-figure scoring with 14 on the evening, as he too corralled a trio of rebounds, plus two dishes. King notched his season-high of nine points and tied with three assists, along with five boards. 

HISTORY SHOWCASE 

Against Missouri S&T, this will be the 17th meeting as a member of NCAA Division II, and the 25th pairing overall dating back to 1915-16, according to Missouri S&T's archives. In GLVC action, the Miners hold an 11-5 lead in the series (18-16 overall), as they came away victorious in each of the last three matchups, including a 70-62 win in the GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals last season. McKendree's last win against the Miners was on January 6th, 2024, in Rolla where they won 71-63. 

Against Lincoln, it will be only the 10th meeting between the two schools. The Blue Tigers stole the most recent outing in Lebanon, 73-68 after the Bearcats defeated them 55-51 at Quincy University's Subway Holiday Classic on December 14th, 2019. Lincoln holds the slight 5-4 edge in the series dating back to 2012-13. 

KNOW THE FOES 

The Miners were this season's favorite to win the GLVC Championship crown after coming up short last season. Currently, they are solidly in second place in the conference standings, behind only (RV) Upper Iowa University. Missouri S&T is posting a 13-2 overall record with a 7-1 mark in GLVC play with their only loss of such coming against the Peacocks on December 6th, while their only non-conference setback came against Western Washington University at the Great Western Shootout event on December 20th. They are coming into the matchup riding a five-game win streak and have won eight of their last nine. 

The Blue Tigers have yet to live up to their expectations, as the squad that was picked second in this year's preseason poll is only 1-8 in conference play with a 7-10 posting overall. They have lost six straight heading into the week after winning three straight prior. Lincoln will face Maryville University on Thursday in Jefferson City before they host McKendree. 

THE DETAILS ARE IN THE DEFENSE 

As of Tuesday, January 20th, the Bearcats are second-ranked in all of NCAA Division II in field goal percentage defense, allowing only 37.3% of opponents' shots to go in. That is 3.3% greater than the next-best GLVC team in the rankings, which happens to be Missouri S&T at 34th with a 40.6 percentage. 

McKendree is also holding firm in scoring defense as well, being 6th in the entire division and allowing only 61.8 points per game in 17 contests so far. It is 5.3 points better than the next GLVC team in UMSL (30th – 67.1). 

KEEP ON POLLING BABY 

McKendree this week, has shown up once again on the national scale within the NABC Coaches Poll by receiving votes (seven total points). 

It is the fourth consecutive week the team made an appearance in the rankings, which is conducted by 16 members of the NABC, with two representing each of the eight NCAA Division II regions. It is also the fifth time overall this season that the Bearcats were listed. 

COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS 

It would be hard to find a more disciplined down the final stretches than this McKendree team, as the Bearcats are a perfect 12-0 when obtaining the lead with two minutes to go in regulation. They have come back once when trailing at that mark, but have eventually fallen in the four other times when down.  

To make it even more impressive, McKendree is also an unblemished 13-0 when being up ahead with five minutes left in regulation, matching their overall win total. The times when they are in a deficit?... 0-4. 

NCAA'S TOP 100 (as of 1/20/26) 

McKENDREE 

Team: 

• Effective field goal percentage (62nd – 53.8%) 
• Field goal percentage (54th – 47.6%) 
• Rebounding margin (63rd – +4.9) 
• Defensive rebounds per game (34th – 27.6) 
• Field goal percentage defense (2nd – 37.3%) 
• Scoring defense (6th – 61.8) 
• Scoring margin (36th  – +10.7) 
• Three-point percentage defense (89th – 31.6%) 
• Turnover margin (99th – +0.9) 
• Turnover per game (51st – 11.5) 
• Winning percentage (35th – 76.5%) 

Individual: 

• Cha'Vez Woods –– free throw percentage (84th – 84.7%) 

MISSOURI S&T 

Team: 

• Assist-to-turnover ratio (56th – 1.3) 
• Blocks per game (97th – 3.5) 
• Effective field goal percentage (86th – 53.1%) 
• Field goal percentage (60th – 47.3%) 
• Field goal percentage (34th – 40.6%) 
• Fouls per game (46th – 15.4) 
• Free throws made per game (93rd – 15.7) 
• Rebounding margin (92nd – +3.0) 
• Defensive rebounds per game (9th – 29.1) 
• Total rebounds per game (48th – 39.3) 
• Scoring defense (63rd – 70.1) 
• Scoring margin (30th – +12.1) 
• Scoring offense (68th – 82.1) 
• Steals per game (53rd – 9.0) 
• Turnover margin (37th – +3.1) 
• Turnovers forced per game (77th – 14.6) 
• Turnovers per game (46th – 11.5) 
• Winning percentage (14th – 86.7%) 

Individual: 

• Andrew Young –– field goal percentage (79th – 51.9%) 
• Cameron Stovall –– free throw percentage (17th – 90.7%) 
• Blaise Beauchamp –– free throw percentage (38th – 88.4%) 
• Adam Rickman –– total steals (39th – 36), steals per game (27th – 2.4) 

LINCOLN 

Team: 

• Blocks per game (57th – 3.9) 
• Field goal percentage defense (90th – 42.6%) 
• Free throw percentage (13th – 78.4%) 
• Rebounding margin (55th – 5.4) 
• Defensive rebounds per game (26.2) 
• Total rebounds per game (92nd – 37.9) 
• Scoring defense (48th – 69.2) 
• Three-point attempts per game (80th – 25.3) 
• Three-point percentage defense (74th – 31.2%) 
• Three-pointers per game (98th – 8.5) 

Individual: 

• Matthieu Biembongo –– total blocks (55th – 24), blocks per game (30th – 1.9), 
• Solomon Oraegbu –– total field goal attempts (57th – 232), total field goals (72nd – 105), total free throw attempts (77th – 96), free throw percentage (69th – 85.4%), total free throws (48th – 82), total points (61st – 307), points per game (26th – 20.5) 
• Max Ekono –– total rebounds (56th – 139), defensive rebounds per game (44th – 6.1), total rebounds per game (64th – 8.2) 
• Malcolm Davis –– three-point attempts (88th – 108, total three-pointers made (95th – 40) 

LOOKING AHEAD 

After the two-game road trip, McKendree will return home for three straight at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois, as next week will feature them taking on the St. Louis schools in UMSL on Thursday, January 29th at 7:30 PM CT and Maryville on Saturday, January 31st at 3:00 PM CT. The Bearcats will follow that with a one-game week on their home floors, as they will face in-state University of Illinois Springfield for the department's Sports Hall of Fame Day on Saturday, February 7th at 3:00 PM CT. 

All contests will be streamed live and on-demand on the Bearcats' GLVC Sports Network via a subscription/download purchase, as live stats will also be available for fans to tune in. Ticket information can be found at mckbearcats.com. 

TUNE IN-FO 

DATE	TIME (CT)	HOME TEAM	AWAY TEAM	LIVE STATS	WATCH LIVE
1/22/26	7:30 PM	Missouri S&T	McKendree	STATS	WATCH ($)
1/24/26	3:00 PM	Lincoln	McKendree	STATS	WATCH ($)

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