LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree took control of a back-and-forth game with a red-hot second-half shooting performance against Drury men's basketball, as the Bearcats pulled away down the stretch for an 89-76 victory over the Panthers Saturday afternoon at Harry M. Statham Sports Center.
McKendree's Noah Franklin scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half to fuel a 73.7-percent shooting (14-of-19) performance by the Bearcats, who also knocked down 19-of-21 (.905) free-throw attempts after intermission to turn what was a four-point game at the break into a double-digit advantage down the stretch.
Isaiah Otyaluk led Drury with 24 points, going 8-for-10 from beyond the three-point arc in his second straight 20-point performance. The loss ended the Panthers' two-game Great Lakes Valley Conference win streak.
Drury (8-9, 3-6 GLVC) gave one of the GLVC's top clubs a battle throughout the contest, including a first half that saw the Panthers build an early four-point cushion. DU led 28-25 with just under five minutes to play in the opening period, thanks in large part to 14 first-half points by Colin Hardrick, as well as a pair of critical three-pointers from Otyaluk.
The key segment of the day came late in the first half, when the Bearcats (13-4, 6-3 GLVC) flipped what was a three-point DU advantage with a 13-6 scoring run over the final 4:26 of the period. That stretch began a 10-minute span over which the Bearcats outscored the Panthers 28-10 after they opened the second stanza with a 15-4 outburst.
The Panthers responded with a 14-5 run of their own, as Otyaluk heated up once again to bury a trio of three-pointers to narrow the Bearcat lead to 58-52 with just over 10 minutes to play.
But once again, McKendree had an answer, using three buckets in the paint and three free throws over the ensuing three minutes to push the margin back to double digits. The Bearcats would own the interior, finishing with a 38-24 scoring advantage in the paint and a 30-26 rebounding edge. That 12-4 run proved to be too much for DU to overcome, as the Bearcats would gradually expand their lead, stretching it to as many as 17 points in the closing minute of play.
Otyaluk tallied 18 of his 24 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the second half, while Hardrick finished his day with 23 points after matching a season high with three three-pointers. KeShaun Thomas added 13 points to go along with a game-high seven rebounds for Drury.
Rimi Harris contributed 21 points for the Bearcats, combining with Franklin for 32 second-half points to lead McKendree.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury returns to O'Reilly Family Event Center to open a two-game home stand Thursday (Jan. 22), when the Panthers host Illinois Springfield for a 7:45 p.m., GLVC contest.
For all the latest information on Drury men's basketball, visit DruryPanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.
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