(LEBANON, Ill. – Nov. 30) – The McKendree University men's basketball pulled out an 87-75 win over over Rockhurst, in their Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) 2020-21 season opener.

After leading 38-21 at the half, Chris Foster's team shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) in the second half to pull away for the win. The Bearcats had an explosive second half shooting 50.0 percent from the three-point-range and 82.5 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line. Their biggest lead came to 20 points (16:39) and went on an 11-point run towards the end of the contest.

A good variety of McKendree players led the way offensively against Rockhurst. Sophomore Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) topped the list with 20 points, including two three-pointers. Sophomore Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) added 19 points, while senior Jacob Donaldson (Effingham, IL/Effingham) chipped in 15 points, including a trio of three-pointers coming at crucial points during the game. Senior Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville)s added 14 points and was 9-9 in free throw attempts. Senior newcomer Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ) also tallied on 14 points.

Rockhurst held one lead over McKendree in the first half, by two points, before McKendree took over the lead nine minutes into the first half. The Hawks managed an eight-point scoring run with 5:53 left in the second half. The Bearcats closed the gap and ran away on an 11-points run of their own, to seal the final 87-75 score.

Chris Hamil led the way for the Hawks, scoring 25 of the team's 75 total points. Quinton Curry added 14 points with six rebounds, and Nick Volz tallied 13 points.

The Bearcats will have a few days off before their first road game of the season. They will travel to Rolla, MO to face Missouri S&T on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 PM.