Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Statham picks up win No. 999 for the Bearcats

LAMONI, Iowa -- McKendree University men's basketball coach Harry Statham picked up his 999th career win as his Bearcat squad defeated Graceland University Tuesday night in Lamoni, Iowa, 71-59.

Junior forward Eric Hobbie (Vandalia) scored a season-high 25 points, while junior forward Brad Copelin (O'Fallon) chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds as McKendree, the No. 5 team in NAIA Division I, kept its perfect record intact at 4-0. The Bearcats were playing their first road game of the 2009-10 season.

Statham, who is in his 44th season as the head coach at his alma mater, is now 999-381 overall in his career. He is the all-time wins leader in men's college basketball history at the four-year level.

Statham could become the first men's senior level coach to reach the 1,000-win mark if McKendree wins its next game Friday at 7 p.m. at home in the McKendree Classic against East-West University.

The Bearcats used a 12-0 run late in the first half to turn a 24-17 deficit into a 29-24 lead in the final minute of the period. After holding a 29-27 lead at the intermission, McKendree broke from the gates with a 14-5 run to open the second half to grab a 43-32 advantage with 15 minutes to play.

McKendree led by as many as 14 points in cruising to the non-conference victory. Junior guard Andy Wolff (Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran) matched Copelin on the boards with nine rebounds. Senior forward Kenny Detmer (Aviston, Ill./Breese Central) added 10 points for the Bearcats.

Graceland, which falls to 2-2 overall, had its two-game win streak snapped with the loss. Tyler Raasch paced the Yellow Jackets with 11 points.