(ROLLA, MO – Dec. 3) – The McKendree University men's basketball team improves to 2-0 after an 89-86 overtime win over Missouri S&T Thursday night.

Chris Foster's team set the tone and fast-paced momentum for the game coming right off the bench. They established an 8-3 lead, forcing the Miners to take an early timeout just a little over four minutes into play. The Bearcats would stop at nothing to increase their lead on every possession. They were sinking baskets, drawing fouls, and making their way to the free throw line. They established a comfortable 11-point lead with 7:44 left in the first half and led by as many as 14 in the first 20 minutes. The game started to shift in the early minutes of the second half, where McKendree saw their lead slowly shrinking. The Bearcats found themselves scrapping to put points on the board to catch up to the Miners, and finally getting even with under five minutes left to play. The game would head into overtime, where the Bearcats would tally on 13 more points and secure the win.

Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ) led the way for the team, recording his first double-double with the Bearcats, scoring 21 points and 14 rebounds. Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) tallied on 18 points with a 66.7 shooting percentage. Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) and Carrington Bass (Floosmoor, IL/Crete-Monee) both added 14 points apiece.

The Miners could not score off of the McKendree defense, getting blocked left and right by big players. They took advantage of mishandling by the Bearcats and scored when they could, but their 14-piont deficit was too much to overcome in the first half. The Miners began to push back against McKendree, outscoring them 8-tp-7 in the first four minutes of the second half, and taking a 52-48 lead with 11:56 left in the game to force another timeout. A technical call and free throw opportunities gave the way for the Bearcats to regain their lead with seconds left in the game. The Miners would hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Bearcats defense limited the Miners to 47.8 shooting percentage from the floor.

Mitch Fairless also recorded a double-double, scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Miners. He was followed by Ryan Parker who scored 18 points, and Kevin Legardy who added 13 points.

McKendree will stay on the road as they head to their first non-conference game in Des Moines, IA. The Bearcats will take on the Bulldogs of Drake University on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 PM in the Knapp Center.