INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No.23 men's basketball team battled against one of their toughest competitors in a two-point falter against the University of Indianapolis to end the Bearcats' win streak at seven on Thursday, February 12th at the Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Score: McKendree University 77, University of Indianapolis 79 

Record: Bearcats 18-5, 11-4 GLVC | Greyhounds 13-11, 11-5 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

McKendree jumped to a 5-0 start with veterans Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) and Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) getting the close range shot and a three-ball from the top of the key, respectively. After a breakaway dunk by the UIndy offense, Woods would continue to keep the drive alive by scoring his team's next five points to take a 10-2 lead. 

The Greyhounds finally found their momentum in the subsequent two minutes, where they captured an 8-2 run to cut their deficit to just two. A corner three-pointer by another veteran senior in Caleb Burton (O'Fallon, Ill.) gave the McKendree squad their third trey already in the game, as it initiated a well-responded 7-0 spurt. 

A tomahawk slam dunk by Woods silenced the road crowd at Nicoson Hall after the Greyhounds had snuck their way back to within one with seven and a half minutes left in the first half. A couple of inside layups by the Kentucky native and redshirt junior Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.) were not enough to slow down another claw-back effort by UIndy, who went on an 11-4 run to take a four-point edge, until Woods canned a pair of shots from the charity stripe to be down to the Greyhounds 29-31 at halftime. 

Freshman guard Andrew Moore (Montgomery County, Mo.) gave the Bearcats their first four points of half number two, and was followed by an outside shot from Woods to give him 16 points so far on the evening. McKendree retook the lead after sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) buried two triples on back-to-back possessions to take the 47-41 advantage. 

Yet, the Bearcat advantage would only hold for a short while, as UIndy and their guard Carmelo Harris put the squad on his back for a personal 8-0 spurt, including a pair of three-point shots to take a one-point lead. That would soon turn into a massive 17-3 run for the Greyhounds to take an eight-score lead with a hair over eight minutes left in regulation. 

The five-plus-minute drought without a field goal by McKendree would come to a close with Woods making his third triple of the evening but still finding themselves down by seven. With UIndy looking to extend its lead with a driving jam, Franklin was able to trail with a ferocious swat to keep him and his teammates alive. 

In the final minute of the game, UIndy made its mark from the line as the Bearcats banged in four three-point makes, two of which coming via Woods, but it would fall short of snagging the road win, as the Greyhounds would win narrowly, 79-77, to fend off any mindset of revenge by McKendree. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Woods recorded his second 30-point game of the season, as he was one short of his career-high with 31 points on 10-for-18 (55.6%) shooting from the floor, 5-for-11 (45.5%) from three, and a perfect 6-for-6 (100%) from the charity stripe. He also supported with a rebound, an assist, and a block. 

• Harris finished with 13 points with seven boards and two each of assists and swats. 

• Moore rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points on 5-for-9 (55.6%) scoring, along with four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. 

• McKendree shot 47.9% from the field, 40.7% from deep, and 76.9% from the line. 

• The Bearcats outrebounded the Greyhounds 33-29. 

• It was just their second time this season converting on 10+ made threes with 11 tonight, as they also made the same number against Maryville University on January 31st (two games prior). 

• McKendree was one win shy of their NCAA Division II program record eight-straight set during the end of the 2022-23 season. 

UP NEXT 

McKendree will be back in action on Saturday, February 14th, as they will return to the state of Illinois to face Lewis University in Romeoville at the Neil Carey Arena with tip-off set for 3:00 PM CT. 

Fans can tune in live or on-demand on the Flyers' GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required, as live stats will also be provided. Tickets can be found on Lewis' athletic website. 

Keep up with McKendree University Men's Basketball on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCmbb | #D2mbb 

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