The William Jewell men's basketball team dropped a 105-93 decision to a hot-shooting McKendree University on Thursday evening in the Mabee Center. The Cardinals fall to 9-15 on the season, and 3-9 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. 


HOW IT HAPPENED

• 1st Half: McKendree came out firing, grabbing an 8-0 lead and forcing a early timeout from Jewell head coach Larry Holley. The Cardinals battled back to tie the game at 16, just under three minutes later and eventually took a 34-33 lead after a three from Eysan Wiley. Jewell extended the lead to as many as seven following another Wiley triple with just over six minutes remaining in the half. The Bearcats closed the half on a 19-11 run to hold a 54-53 lead at the break. 
• 2nd Half: The Bearcats again came out of the locker room on fire, pushing their advantage to 13, five minutes into the second period. Trailing by 10 with under six minute to play, Jewell went on a 9-4 spurt to pull within five of McKendree. The Bearcats pushed the lead back to double-digits and Jewell was forced to foul down the stretch. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• McKendree shot a blistering 52 percent from the field, 59 percent from three, and 92 percent from the free throw line.
• Jewell assisted on 21 of their 30 field goals. 
• The two teams combined for 23 triples in the first 20 minutes of play and 32 total on the night. 
• The Cardinals out-rebounded McKendree 37-33. 

LEADERS OF THE FLIGHT

• Scoring: Keith Hayes (27), Pharroh Gordon (20), Wiley (15), Byron Harp (14)
• Rebounding: Wiley (10)
• Assists: Hayes (4), Gordon (4), Nick Bradley (4)
• Steals: Harp (3)

UP NEXT
Jewell is back in action on Saturday as they host Illinois Springfield at 3 p.m.