(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 19)—The McKendree University men's basketball team bounced back into the win column in impressive fashion on Tuesday night, surging past Westminster College in non-conference play at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, 89-34.
 
The Bearcats led wire-to-wire and put on a dominant second-half performance to improve to 2-2 on the season. McKendree will continue its season-opening six-game home stand Saturday afternoon when Principia College visits Lebanon. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
 
As a team, McKendree 14 three-pointers against the Blue Jays, including a 10-of-18 effort (55.6 percent) in the second half. The Bearcats outscored Westminster 50-10 over the final 20 minutes of play in coasting to the win. McKendree's all-around attack also included nine blocked shots and a 50-33 advantage on the boards in Tuesday's contest.
 
Junior guard Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) led the way for McKendree with 21 points, going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) registered a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with a team-best six assists. Senior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/BC Partizan Belgrade) added 11 points for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree scored the first nine points of the game, holding Westminster without a field goal for the first five minutes of action. The Bearcats continued to add to the advantage, taking 31-10 lead when junior forward Jacob Donaldson (Effingham, IL/Effingham) drained a jumper with just over nine minutes remaining in the half. The Blue Jays whittled their deficit in the closing minutes of the period, getting within 39-24 at the intermission.
 
The Bearcats put the game out of reach in the opening moments of the second half, scoring the first 19 points to extend its margin to 58-24 with 14:30 to play. Stephen scored the final seven points of the burst on the rare four-point play followed by a long three-pointer on McKendree's ensuing possession. The Bearcats later ripped off 18 consecutive points to stretch the lead to 79-29 with just over seven minutes on the clock.

Defensively, McKendree limited Westminster to just 14.3 percent shooting (4-of-28) in the second half, and 22.6 percent (14-of-62) for the game. The Bearcats also held a 28-3 advantage in points off turnovers against the Blue Jays.
 
Omar Wright came off the bench to lead Westminster with six points and three assists.
 
The 34 points allowed by McKendree represent the fewest posted by an opponent in the Bearcats' NCAA Division II era that dates back to the 2012-13 season. The previous low for a McKendree foe came in a 96-44 triumph over Central Christian College (Mo.) on Dec. 6, 2014.