Bearcats fall to Trevecca Nazarene

Despite a double-double of 31 points and 10 rebounds from junior guard David Franklin (Althoff Catholic), the McKendree University men’s basketball team was handed an 83-73 loss Saturday night at home against Trevecca Nazarene University.

Franklin scored 17 of his points in the second half in helping the Bearcats rally from an 11-point deficit to grab a one-point advantage with 12:06 to play, but the visiting Trojans used 9-0 run in the closing minutes to pull away for the non-conference win. McKendree slips to 5-3 on the season and will close out the first half of the 2015-16 season Wednesday with a visit from Salem International University. Tip-off at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center is set for 7 p.m.

For the contest, Franklin was 12-of-19 from the field with a pair of three-point field goals along with a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line to lead McKendree. Junior guard Michael Jackson (O’Fallon) added 15 points and five rebounds, going 9-of-9 at the stripe in the contest. Senior forward Brandon Book (Breese Central) chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds for the Bearcats.

The contest was a seesaw affair in the early stages until McKendree ripped off nine consecutive points to surge to a 19-14 lead with 12:23 left in the first half. Franklin had five points during the burst for the Bearcats. McKendree eventually stretched the margin to 23-16 on two free throws from Jackson at the 10:51 mark of the half before Trevecca Nazarene (3-6) answered with seven straight points to knot the game at 23-23.

McKendree regained its traction and pushed its way back to a 30-24 lead with 5:37 on the clock before the Trojans closed the half on a 12-0 run to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room. Trevecca Nazarene then built a 48-37 lead with just over 17 minutes to play before the Bearcats battled back once again. McKendree scored 14 of the next 15 points to surge back in front, 51-50, with 12:06 remaining. Franklin and Book combined to post 12 of the 14 points during the span for the Bearcats.

Trevecca Nazarene fought back to tie the contest and eventually took the lead for good at 60-57 following a basket and free throw from Percy Blade with 9:18 to go. McKendree got as close as 66-65 on a three-pointer from junior guard Kyle Yates (Civic Memorial) at the 6:21 mark, but the Trojans never lost the lead and rattled off nine points in a row to put the game out of reach at 79-67 inside the final minute.

Byron Sanford paced Trevecca Nazarene with 26 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Mac Walden netted 14 points in the win for the Trojans, who avenged an 86-80 loss to the Bearcats in Nashville, Tenn., back on Nov. 28. This is the fourth consecutive year that McKendree and Trevecca Nazarene have split their home-and-home non-conference series. In the last three seasons, the road team has emerged victorious in each meeting.

McKendree 77, Illinois-Springfield 62

Junior forward Ellie Pusheck scored a season-high 24 points on Saturday to lead the McKendree University women’s basketball team to a win at University of Illinois Springfield.

The Bearcats improve to 3-6 overall and 1-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with the win and will host Oakland City University on Wednesday, December 16 at 5 p.m.

Pusheck's 24 points led all players, while senior guards Kacey Johnson and Kelsee Ennis added 18 and 10 points, respectively.

McKendree shot a season-high 57.4-percent from the field and never trailed in the contest. The Bearcats opened the game with a layup and free throw by Pusheck, before the Prairie Stars scored on the next possession. McKendree used a 8-0 run take an 11-2 lead and held a 17-10 lead at the end of the quarter. UIS battled back in the second quarter to tie the game 19-19 with 5:58 left, but the Bearcats held on and went into the half with a 30-23 lead.

The Prairie Stars cut McKendree's lead to 40-36 with 6:12 left in the 3rd quarter, but it was as close as the hosts would come. The Bearcats led 60-50 at the end of the third quarter, and held on to its double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter to earn the win.

This story was originally published December 12, 2015 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Bearcats fall to Trevecca Nazarene."