(EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Dec. 12) – The McKendree men's basketball had their first loss of the 2020-21 season Saturday afternoon to Southern Indiana. The Bearcats lost 70-81, with three players finishing in double figures, including a double-double by
Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ).
The Bearcats came out hot, but then went 3-for-10 and found themselves trailing the Screaming Eagles six minutes into the game. Right out of the timeout,
Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/BC Partizan Belgrade) maneuvered his way around the defense to the basket, slamming one down to put his team within one. Next possession,
Jacob Donaldson (Effingham, IL/Effingham) would add his first three-pointer of the afternoon and tie the game at 14. The Bearcats would break the full court press and try to catch the Screaming Eagles off balance when driving to the net. They would pull away by draining three-pointers and capitalizing on opportunities from steals by
Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) and
Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ). The Bearcats lost their lead late in the first half and came within two points going into halftime.
McKendree saw pressure and their deficit increase by 12, five and a half minutes into the second half. Defensive moves like a crucial block from Donaldson to eliminate the Screaming Eagles from scoring on a steal, are what the Bearcats needed to stay within a single-digit deficit. The Bearcats would retaliate with a full court press to try and slow down the control that Southern Indiana had on the game.
Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) recorded a season-high 21 points in the game, going 58.3 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 62.5 percent form the free throw line.
Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ) recorded his first double-double as a Bearcat, scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds, and going 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Donaldson added 13 points, shooting 57.1 percent, and 50.0 percent from both three-point range and the free throw line.
Southern Indiana was first to get on the board over the undefeated Bearcats and try to hold onto a three-point lead before forcing the Bearcats into a timeout. The Screaming Eagles would go back-and-forth with the Bearcats but not enough to regain their lead. When driving to the basket, the Bearcats would pull back before following through forcing the Screaming Eagles to get off-balance. They would find ways to comeback within points and momentarily take a lead over McKendree, and lead by one going into halftime.
Southern Indiana came out of the timeout looking to extend their lead, turning the pressure onto the Bearcats. They would secure a 12-point lead with 14 and a half minutes left in the game, forcing the Bearcats into a timeout. the Screaming Eagles worked the whole second half to try and change up their opponent's tone, and it worked well in keeping the six-point lead with one-minute left in the game.
The Screaming Eagles had four players end in double figures, led by Jelani Simmons with 18 points. Emmanuel Little recorded 15 points, while Josh Price was right behind with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Rounding out the top performers was Tyler Henry who added 12 points.
Chris Foster and his team will head south to Clarksville, Tenn., for their second non-conference contest of the season. They will take on the Governors of Austin Peay State University on Monday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 PM.
