(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 19)—The McKendree University men's basketball team nearly overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the second half in taking a 72-69 setback Saturday afternoon at home against Missouri S&T.
 
The Bearcats rallied within a single point on two different occasions down the stretch against the visiting Miners, but could not get the shots to fall in the closing moments of Saturday's contest that wrapped up a four-game home stand. McKendree is now 7-9 overall and 3-4 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action. The Bearcats will head north next week for a pair of league contests, beginning with a Thursday night tilt at Quincy University. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Junior center Nolan Gerling (Germantown, IL/Mater Dei) poured in a season-high 25 points and added eight rebounds to lead the Bearcats' offensive attack. Gerling scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the comeback attempt for McKendree. Junior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) also turned in a season-high performance, netting 20 points against Missouri S&T. Senior guard Giovanni Offard (Freeport, IL/Freeport) matched Gerling on the boards with eight rebounds. Offard and junior guard Alijah Thomas (Des Moines, IA/Hoover) shared team-high assist honors with five each.
 
After holding a 33-29 lead at the break, Missouri S&T (3-11, 1-5 GLVC) slowly increased its margin over the first eight minutes of the second half. The Miners outscored the Bearcats 11-5 over a four-minute stretch to take its biggest lead of the contest at 52-42 with exactly 12 minutes to play. Kohrmann then drilled a three-pointer on McKendree's next possession to spark a 9-2 run that helped the Bearcats trim the deficit to 54-51 with 9:33 on the clock.
 
McKendree saw its deficit grow back to seven points before Gerling hit a lay-up and free throw and senior guard Nate Michael (St. Joseph, IL/St. Joseph-Ogden) followed with a three-pointer on consecutive trips down the floor to help the Bearcats slash the Missouri S&T lead to 60-59 with 6:39 on the clock. McKendree continued to keep the pressure on the Miners, especially after Gerling sank two free throws with 2:10 remaining to keep the Bearcats within 68-67.
 
The Miners scored the next four points to regain a five-point cushion at 72-67. Kohrmann answered on a driving lay-up with 55.6 seconds to play, getting the Bearcats back within 72-69. McKendree held defensively, and Offard grabbed the rebound with 23 seconds on the clock.
 
Kohrmann got an open look from 23 feet out with nine seconds left, but his shot was just off the mark. The Miners claimed the rebound and, following a foul with six seconds to play, went to the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. Missouri S&T missed the front end, but the Bearcats could not get off another potential game-tying three-pointer before the buzzer sounded.
 
In the first half, Missouri S&T pulled out to an 8-2 lead before Gerling and Kohrmann combined to score the next seven points to give McKendree its first lead of the contest at 9-8 with 15:14 remaining in the period. The teams traded baskets before the Miners ripped off 11 consecutive points to seize the lead for good at 24-14 with 6:17 remaining until the intermission. The Bearcats whittled away at the deficit, getting as close as 28-25 following a lay-up from Gerling at the 2:17 mark of the first half.
 
C.J. Hedgepeth led a balanced attack for Missouri S&T with 14 points and a game-high four steals. Jalen Myers contributed 12 points, while Ervin Sarajlic led all players with nine rebounds for the Miners.