Maryville jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on a made shot by freshman Aaron Steinke. The Bearcats would take over however, and after an 8-1 run they would hold their largest lead (five points) of the game with 18:32 still remaining to play in the first half. The lead would change hands a total of eight times in the half, with the Saints taking an eight-point lead into halftime.
After the half McKendree started to chip away at the Saints lead and would cut it to 47-44 with 14:26 left on the clock. Maryville would respond though with a 16-6 run, taking their largest lead of the game (13 points) with slightly more than eight minutes left to play. The Bearcats would manage to get within three points after two made free throws by Aaron Bond at 2:39, but Saints seniors Ben Hebl, Matt Regan and Ryan Klein combined for eight points down the stretch to secure the victory for their squad.
"We played some of the best half court man-to-man defense and team motion offense that I have seen in quite some time," said Rogers. "Our seniors did an outstanding job and absolutely defined themselves from the tip-off. Their leadership is one of the big reasons we were able to get this big win."
Four out of the five seniors who saw the floor scored in double figures. Hebl led the way with 19 points on 8-of-10 (.800) shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 (.750) from behind the arc. Regan added 18 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Klein finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Senior Stephen Bash also played well, recording his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while fellow senior Tim Elwell ran the show for the Saints from the point guard position and tallied a team-high four assists for the game.
McKendree had three players score in double figures. Brad Fischer hit 5-of-11 (.455) from behind the arc and finished with a game-high 21 points, while teammates Mike Strobbe and Aaron Bond added 18 and 10 points respectively. Fischer and Bond also grabbed nine rebounds a piece, and Chris Shields dished out a game-high seven assists.
Rogers and his squad will enjoy 15 days off before returning to action on Thursday, December 15. They will travel to Missouri Baptist University for a 7:00 pm contest.
Newspaper Box Score McKendree vs Maryville (Mo.) 11/30/05 7:30 pm at Moloney Arena (St. Louis, Mo.) At Moloney Arena (St. Louis, Mo.) MARYVILLE (MO.) 77, MCKENDREE 68 MCKENDREE (4-7) Brad Fischer 8-17 0-0 21; Mike Strobbe 7-12 4-4 18; Aaron Bond 3-4 4-4 10; Eric Palm 3-4 0-0 6; Bryant Lyles 2-7 0-0 5; Chris Shields 2-5 0-0 4; Mark Stovall 1-6 1-2 3; Julius Whitehead 0-1 1-4 1; Stan Mayfield 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 10-14 68. MARYVILLE (MO.) (3-3) Hebl, Ben 8-10 0-0 19; Regan, Matt 7-15 4-6 18; Klein, Ryan 4-11 4-6 12; Bash, Stephen 4-8 2-2 10; Rezabek, Jason 3-4 0-0 6; McGrath, Teddy 2-6 0-0 4; Vanden Heuvel, M. 1-3 0-0 3; Elwell, Tim 1-3 0-1 3; Steinke, Aaron 1-2 0-0 2; Bollinger, Michael 0-1 0-0 0; McCarthy, Matt 0-3 0-0 0; Turpen, Mike 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-68 10-15 77. McKendree..................... 33 35 - 68 Maryville (Mo.)............... 41 36 - 77 3-point goals-McKendree 6-19 (Brad Fischer 5-11; Bryant Lyles 1-3; Chris Shields 0-1; Mark Stovall 0-3; Stan Mayfield 0-1), Maryville (Mo.) 5-15 (Hebl, Ben 3-4; Vanden Heuvel, M. 1-2; Elwell, Tim 1-1; McGrath, Teddy 0-2; Turpen, Mike 0-1; Klein, Ryan 0-3; Regan, Matt 0-2). Fouled out--McKendree-None, Maryville (Mo.)-None. Rebounds-McKendree 36 (Brad Fischer 9; Aaron Bond 9), Maryville (Mo.) 38 (Bash, Stephen 11). Assists-McKendree 21 (Chris Shields 7), Maryville (Mo.) 14 (Elwell, Tim 4). Total fouls-McKendree 17, Maryville (Mo.) 13. A-350