(ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 13)—In a game that literally was not decided until the final second, the McKendree University men's basketball team was defeated on the road Saturday afternoon at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 59-57.
The Tritons' Elijah Watson hit a 17-foot jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining to salvage the victory for UMSL, which squandered a 16-point, first-half lead against the Bearcats. McKendree rallied to take a five-point advantage down the stretch before Missouri-St. Louis battled back to collect the win. McKendree moves to 10-6 overall and 1-5 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
On Monday, McKendree will visit the University of Illinois Springfield for the second meeting in nine days against the Prairie Stars. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
Four different players scored in double figures for McKendree, led by senior guard Justin Blanks with 18 points. Junior guard Nate Michael came off the bench to add 13 points, while junior forward Malcolm Mabry netted all 12 of his points in the second half for the Bearcats. Sophomore center Nolan Gerling registered a double-double for the second straight game with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds at UMSL.
McKendree, which trailed 30-22 at the half, faced a 15-point deficit in the early stages of the second half before mounting a comeback. The Bearcats began to climb back into contention with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 37-30 with 14:24 remaining. Michael scored five points to highlight the burst thanks to a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.
UMSL (8-7, 3-3 GLVC) pushed the margin back to double digits before McKendree edged closer. With the Tritons holding a 43-36 advantage, the Bearcats put together a 12-2 to grab its first lead of the day at 48-45 with 7:53 on the clock. Mabry began the spurt with a jumper before Blanks hit two free throws to get McKendree within three points. A 23-footer from Michael tied the game for the first time at 45-43, and Mabry followed with another jumper to put the visitors in front. After UMSL scored to knot the score once again, Blanks drilled a three-pointer to cap the run.
The Bearcats stretched the lead to as many as five points three different times, the last coming at 55-50 on a lay-up from Mabry with just over two minutes remaining. Missouri-St. Louis answered by scoring seven straight points to grab the lead back at 57-55 with 38 seconds to play, but Mabry countered with another jumper with 16 seconds left to tie the game one final time at 57-57. After a timeout, Watson managed his last-second heroics, hitting the game-winner over the outstretched hands of two McKendree defenders.
Watson finished with a game-high 24 points to lead UMSL. Anthony Hughes added 14 points for the Tritons, while Eric Dust grabbed a team-best seven rebounds in the effort. McKendree and UMSL will play again on Feb. 15 in Lebanon.
