(MURRAY, Ky., Nov. 2)—The McKendree University men's basketball team played its one and only pre-season game of the 2017-18 season Thursday night at Murray State University, where the Bearcats fell to the NCAA Division I Racers by a score of 98-82.
 
Sophomore center Nolan Gerling scored 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half and posted a team-best nine rebounds to lead the way for McKendree. Junior guard Nate Michael came off the bench to net 18 points while dishing out four assists for the Bearcats. Junior guard Giovanni Offard, making his McKendree debut, contributed 14 points along with team-high totals of six assists and three steals against Murray State.
 
The teams battled through the opening moments before Murray State used an 11-3 run to grab a 20-9 lead with 13:43 remaining in the first half. McKendree chipped away at the deficit and put together a 9-2 burst of its own to pull within 26-22 with 7:57 left in the period. The Bearcats knocked down six free throws during the spurt sandwiched around a three-pointer from freshman forward Jacob Donaldson. At that point, the Racers used their transition game to answer back with a 14-4 run to regain a 45-30 advantage with just over two minutes left until halftime.
 
Murray State, which shot 56.8 percent from the floor in the second half on its way to a 51-35 lead at the break, slowly pulled away in the second half to register the victory. The Racers stretched their margin to as many as 30 points before McKendree fought back over the closing minutes. McKendree scored 13 of the final 17 points of play over the final 4:50 thanks in part to shooting 53.1 percent from the floor in the half. The Bearcats also had a solid night at the free throw line, hitting 25-of-31 attempts (80.6 percent).
 
Ja Morant led Murray State with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Shaq Buchanan came off the bench to add 19 points – 15 of which came in the second half – for the Racers. Thursday's contest marked the first-ever meeting on the basketball court between McKendree and Murray State.
 
McKendree will officially tip off its 2017-18 season on Saturday, Nov. 11 at home against Principia College. Game time at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center is set for 8 p.m.