LEBANON, Ill. – It was a defensive-minded game for the men's basketball team, who returned home to the friendly confines of the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois after a 33-day stretch away from the court, as the Bearcats routed the in-state Lewis University Flyers 68-44 in resumption of GLVC action on Friday, January 2nd to kickoff the 2026 calendar year.
Score: McKendree University 68, Lewis University 44
Record: Bearcats 10-2, 3-1 GLVC | Flyers 3-9, 1-3 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half of play was a notable one to begin the 2026 calendar year, as McKendree held Lewis to Bearcat-best 19 first half points allowed, and having them shoot only 16.0% from the floor and 13.3% from the arc.
It was ground and pound for the Bearcats in the early goings as they took control of the Flyers on the defensive end while sinking shots on their end of the hardwoods with a 19-5 opening run within the first 10 minutes of game time. A trio of converted free throws by Lewis after drawing a foul from beyond the arc put a light lid on McKendree's momentum, but it would only last for 15 seconds as the Bearcats responded immensely with an 11-point spurt, including three shots that hit from long distance to put the home squad up by a comfortable 22.
After a split pair at the line by sophomore forward Joshua Schönbäck (Kierling, Austria), sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) stripped the subsequent inbound pass and plowed his way in for the lay-in to up his squad's lead to 24. A 6-2 run by the Flyers closed the gap at the half to a 19-39 deficit while being far from reach.
The two upperclassmen leaders in Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) and Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) contributed on 10 straight points by McKendree to open up half number two, with the former knocking down his third and fourth three-pointers of the contest while the latter had to earn his points from inside the paint and at the line to reach a 30-point 49-19 edge.
A few made trey-balls sunken by the Flyer offense dipped into the Bearcats' lead momentarily before redshirt freshman guard Jackson Wors (Muncie, Ind.) was able to drive inside for the layup and follow up with a pull-up jumper from the foul line extended to give him a quick career-high four points.
With their largest lead looming at 31, the Bearcats played conservatively for the remaining eight and a half minutes of regulation while still anchoring down defensively as they would go en route to complete a compelling 68-44 victory in the team's first home game since December 1st of 2025, making it a 33-day stretch.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Woods led the team in scoring with his eighth-straight double-digit scoring game with 17 on the evening on 5-for-7 (71.4%) shooting and 4-for-6 (66.6%) from long range to go with a couple rebounds and a steal.
• Despite being second in scoring with 11 points, Harris was arguably the most efficient with going a perfect 5-for-5 (100%) scoring, while also grabbing seven boards, four dishes and a trio of takeaways
• McKendree shot 41.0% from the field, 25.9% from deep, and 78.6% from the line.
• The Bearcats out-rebounded the Flyers 41-34.
• McKendree led in numerous specialty stat categories, including points off turnovers (20-2), bench points (26-18), points in the paint (36-14), and fast break points (9-0).
• The Bearcats did not let a single Lewis player reach double figures; it is the fourth time this season the team has done so.
• The 44 points allowed in the victory are the fewest McKendree has given up against a GLVC opponent since allowing 40 from Quincy University on February 28th, 2022 in the first round of the GLVC Tournament, where the Bearcats won by 37.
• The current 10-2 record by this year's McKendree squad is their best start to a season since posting the same record within the first 12 games of the 2017-18 season.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action on Sunday, January 4th, when they host the University of Indianapolis in GLVC action at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois, with tip-off slated 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 for the game can be found at mckbearcat.com.
Keep up with McKendree University Men's Basketball on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCmbb | #D2mbb
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