Game Notes (PDF)

Date: November 29, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Bolivar, MO 

Bolivar, Mo. - The Bearcats are set to open GLVC play on Monday as they host the Cardinals of William Jewell after dominating NAIA Hannibal-LaGrange.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
The Bearcats look to keep their momentum rolling, coming off a 15-6 regular season last year and a 20-8 regular season in 2019-20. Last season, SBU swept the GLVC West Division, earning the #3 seed in the conference tournament. Their 15 conference wins are the second most in a season in program history. Despite losing a key contributor from last year's squad, SBU returns 4 starters, including All-GLVC selections in Quinn Nelson and Mitch Ganote. Nelson led the team in scoring with 324 points (15.4 ppg), three-point field goals made (54, 4th in GLVC), free throw % (60-67, 89.6%, 2nd in GLVC), and minutes played (652, 31.0 per game). He also had 55 rebounds, 42 assists, 15 steals, and 7 blocks. Ganote was a threat all around, recording 4 double-doubles, 5 20-point games, and was 1 rebound shy of a triple-double against Rockhurst. Joe Miller and Jalil Beaubrun also return to the starting lineup and will make a big impact on the floor. A total of 9 Bearcats return from last year's roster, 6 new faces have been added.

The Bearcats are off to a 4-1 start, sandwiching their only loss with two wins prior and two wins after. Three of their four wins have been decided by 20+ points (Trevecca Nazarene, Barclay College, and Hannibal-LaGrange), and the other was a 9-point win over Pittsburg State. Their only loss came at Missouri Southern, falling 85-87 in overtime. In that contest, the Bearcats erased a 14-point deficit. Four Bearcats are averaging double digit points, and three of those players have 60+ points this year. Leading with 69 points is Quinn Nelson. He has made 15-35 (42.9%) three's and has dished 13 assists this year. Mitch Ganote has done it all for SBU, scoring 68 points on 54.5% shooting from the field. In addition, Ganote has 48 rebounds (9.6 per game), 34 assists (6.8 per game, 7th in the nation), 12 steals, and 4 blocks. He has the team's only two double-double's. Jalil Beaubrun is right up there as well, scoring 64 points with 24 rebounds and 13 blocks (3rd in the nation). Off the bench, Nico Aguirre has 59 points on 13-20 (65.0%, 6th in the nation) shooting from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
The William Jewell Cardinals enter Tuesday's matchup with a 2-4 record, currently riding a 3-game losing streak. They started the year with a 76-71 victory over Purdue Northwest before falling to Davenport 67-75. Following that loss, the Cardinals picked up a huge upset win 56-52 against #11 ranked Washburn. Since that contest, the Cardinals have lost to Emporia State, Central Missouri, and Missouri Western, each by 8 points or less. Through their 6 games, Jordan Jermain leads the team with 83 points on 43.5% shooting. Kobe McKinley has had a major impact as well, scoring 75 points on 50% shooting, 37 rebounds, 14 steals, and 6 blocks. Heri Tshiyoyo is averaging 9.5 rebounds in 6 games.

THE COACHES
SBU head coach Clark Sheehy begins his eighth season on the SBU bench after compiling an 97-99 (60-80 conf.) record while at SBU. Coach Sheehy holds a career coaching record of 279-205 across sixteen seasons while coaching six different All-Americans and over 40 athletes that have moved on to play professional basketball.

Chris McCabe rejoins the Cardinals bench for his 3rd season. He took over the program in 2019, leading the team to a 15-34 (10-31 GLVC) record in his first two campaigns. Prior to his stint at William Jewell, McCabe spent 9 seasons as the head coach at Liberty North HS.

ALL-TIME SERIES
SBU leads the all-time series 8-4, sweeping the series last season. The first contest was taken 89-71 on the road by SBU, followed by a 74-62 victory at home. In the second game last year, Mitch Ganote (20), Quinn Nelson (15), and Joe Miller (12) each had double digit points. Ganote also had 6 rebounds and 5 assists.