POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 20)—Senior guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) hit a 40-foot shot as time expired to give the McKendree University men's basketball team an 80-78 win over Union University Tuesday night in the Bearcats' 2018-19 home opener.
 
Michael's game-winning heave marked the 10^th and final lead change in a tightly-contested battle that ended with McKendree's Chris Foster earning his first victory as head coach of the Bearcats.
 
"Unbelievable," said Foster after the game. "We were trying to inbound to (junior center) Nolan (Gerling) in the middle and hit either Nate or (junior guard) Logan (Kohrmann) on the move. Our timing wasn't great but it was a great effort by Nate to get a shot up and luckily it went in."
 
Union had taken a 78-77 lead Tylandrius Parks hit the back end of a two-shot foul with 2.8 seconds remaining. Each team called a timeout as the Bearcats were able to draw up their final play. Senior guard Giovanni Offard (Freeport, IL/Freeport) launched a pass to mid-court, where Gerling caught it and whipped an outlet pass to Michael near the sideline. Michael was able to handle the low pass before it hit the ground, turned around and let loose from just inside the half-court stripe. The ball banked in and set off a wild celebration for the McKendree players. Video review confirmed the ball was released ahead of the final buzzer.
 
"I was going to get a back-screen from Logan and I was going to loop around. Gio was going to hit Nolan and it was up to (Nolan) to decide which side he was going to throw it," said Michael of the game-winning play. "I made myself available as best as I could in that short amount of time, caught it, turned and hoped for the best. I'm just glad it went in."
 
Michael scored all 10 of his points in the second half as McKendree improved to 1-2 on the season. Junior forward Rathen Carter (Oklahoma City, OK/Heritage Hall) came off the bench to post 13 of his team-leading 17 points in the second half for the Bearcats, while Offard added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Gerling also reached double figures in the scoring column with 12 points as he added six rebounds. Kohrman finished with six points and a team-best eight rebounds for McKendree.
 
After holding a 36-35 lead at the half, McKendree reeled off the first eight points of the second half to take its largest lead of the night at 44-35 with just under 18 minutes to play. The Bearcats held its nine-point cushion at three different points in the period before Union (4-1) rallied. The Bulldogs used an 11-2 run to pull even at 56-56 with 11:59 remaining. Union later surged in front thanks to a 13-4 burst to grab a 69-62 advantage with 4:03 on the clock.
 
McKendree began to chip away the deficit and pulled within 75-73 following a basket by Kohrmann with 1:23 left. Following a three-point miss by Union, Michael was fouled on the Bearcats' next possession and hit two free throws to knot the contest at 75-75 with 44.2 seconds to play. The two teams traded quick baskets before Parks hit his free throw with 2.8 seconds on the clock to give the Bulldogs their final lead of the night. Then came Michael's heroics, which sent the McKendree crowd home happy.
 
"I was really happy to see such a good crowd tonight," said Michael. "They helped give us a lot of energy down the stretch, and we tried to feed off that emotion."
 
The Bearcats built an early lead in Tuesday's contest before Union was able to scratch out a 20-19 lead midway through the period. McKendree then reeled off nine straight points to take a 20-20 lead with 7:46 remaining until halftime. The Bulldogs bounced back with an 8-0 run of their own to pull even at 28-28 before a three-pointer from Offard and a lay-up from Gerling on consecutive possessions pushed McKendree out to a 33-28. Union knotted the score at 33-33 when Offard drilled another three-pointer on the final possession of the first half to ensure the Bearcats would take a lead into the locker room.

Tyree Boykin poured in a game-high 30 points to lead the way for Union, while Parks added 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs. 
 
McKendree will return to action Saturday with a non-conference home game against Principia College. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Statham Center.