(ROLLA, Mo., Feb. 6) – The McKendree University men's basketball team fell to the Miners of Missouri S&T 73-71 Thursday night. The Bearcats are now 11-10 overall on the season and 6-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The Miners took a quick 8-2 lead to start out competition early in the first half. McKendree made quick work on a comeback scoring seven unanswered points to take back the lead 9-8. The game remained close with Missouri S&T pulling away from the Bearcats, at most by 11 points, and then McKendree answering back to get within one point of the Miners. At half, the Bearcats trailed by four, 35-31.

McKendree outscored Missouri S&T in the second half, 40-38, and even tied the game up with 1:56 remaining in the half, 68-68. The Miners scored a quick three pointer to regain the lead followed by a made free throw to go up by four with 39 seconds left to play. Freshman forward Jakobie Robinson (Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central) got McKendree within one off of a made three point basket with 19 seconds left but S&T sealed the 73-71 victory with a made free throw.

Robinson led the team with his first career double-double. The freshman recorded a career high 13 rebounds and 12 points for the Bearcats. He also tallied three assists and two steals for McKendree as well. Senior guard Logan Kohrmann (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central) and sophomore forward Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/BC Partizan Belgrade) also earned double-digit points for the Bearcats, Kohrmann with 18 and Popovic close behind with 15.

As a team, the Bearcats were stronger in the paint than the Miners, recording 36 of their 71 points in the paint while S&T only managed 24.The Miners bench outscored the Bearcats and they were able to score five more points off of fast breaks than McKendree. The Bearcats and the Miners shot the same from field goal range but S&T got its leg up shooting 44 percent from the three point line while McKendree only shot 31.3 percent.

McKendree will close out its four game road stint with a game at Maryville University on Saturday, Feb. 8 in St. Louis, Mo. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.