(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 16)—The McKendree University men's basketball team was defeated in non-conference play Saturday at home by East Central University, 81-73.
The visiting Tigers shot 59.1 percent from the field in the second half to break open a tight game and pull away for the victory. McKendree, now 1-2 on the season, will host Westminster College (Mo.) Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Junior guard
Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) led McKendree with 18 points, knocking down six three-point field goals against East Central. Senior guard
Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and a team-leading nine rebounds, while freshman guard
Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard
Aleksandar Davitkov (/Partizan) came off the bench to post eight points for the Bearcats.
East Central (3-0) jumped out to an early advantage before McKendree reeled off 13 consecutive points to grab a 22-12 advantage with 12:17 left in the first half. Five different players scored during the burst for the Bearcats, beginning with a jumper in the paint by Davitkov. McKendree eventually pushed the lead to 11 on three different occasions, the last coming at 33-22 following a basket by Bultman with 7:27 left in the half. The Tigers chipped away at the deficit before using a 10-2 spurt to pull even at 37-37 with 2:50 on the clock.
The teams traded scores before East Central scored on its final possession of the first half to grab a 43-41 lead at the intermission. McKendree scored nine of the first 11 points of the second half to regain a 50-34 advantage with 18:35 to play. The Bearcats maintained their lead until the middle stages of the period. The Tigers netted 12 of 15 points over a four-minute stretch to surge back in front at 62-58.
After East Central grew the margin to as many as 10 points before McKendree made one final run. A free throw by Kohrmann with 28 seconds remaining brought the Bearcats within 79-73, but could get no closer.
Camron Talley and Caleb Williams led a balanced attack for East Central with 15 points each. Josh Apple registered a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Tigers.
