ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The McKendree University men's basketball closed out the 2021-22 regular season here Saturday by dropping its third consecutive game as they fell 72-49 to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at the Mark Twain Building on the UMSL campus.
 
With the setback, the Bearcats close the regular season with a 13-11 record and a 9-11 mark in the GLVC, while UMSL improved to 20-6 overall and 14-5 in the league. The 13 wins this season marked the third consecutive year that the Bearcats finished the regular season with a 13 or more wins, in addition, it was sixth double-digit win season for the Bearcats in the school's Division II era (2012-present).
 
Thanks to its strong play during the regular season, the Bearcats earned the No. 7 seed in this year's GLVC Tournament and with that No. 7 seed, will host a first round home game in this year's tournament on Monday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center against No. 10 seed Quincy University (15-15 overall, 8-12 GLVC).  
 
The Bearcats offense struggled on Saturday against the Tritons as they were held 21.1 points below their season scoring average as the Bearcats entered the game averaging 70.1 points per game and the 49 points scored were a season low as the previous season low was 51 points against Illinois-Springfield in McKendree's GLVC opener on Nov. 29.
 
Along with scoring a season low 49 points, the Bearcats also shot a season low 28 percent from the field and went 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) from the 3-point line. Additionally, the Bearcats turned the ball over a season-high 16 times and those 16 turnovers led to 22 points for UMSL. UMSL had just six turnovers in the game, including just two in the first half.
 
Sophomore forward Milos Vicentic (Belgrade, Serbia/OKK Belgrade) led the way offensively for the Bearcats with a career-high 11 points and a career-high six rebounds. In fact, Vicentic was the only Bearcat to score in double figures in the game and he has scoeed 29 points and had 14 rebounds over his last three games. In addition to Vicentic, redshirt senior guard Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, Ill./SWIC) and junior guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) each added eight points, while Bultman had six rebounds, but was 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from the 3-point line in the loss.
 
With his eight points, Bultman had his streak of double-digit scoring game snapped at 20 games. Bultman entered the game third in the league in scoring at 19.7 points per game as he was held nearly 12 points under his season scoring average.
 
UMSL was paced offensively by 17 points from Yaakema Rose, Jr., while Jose Grubbs added 15 points and 11 rebounds and Marty Jackson finished with 11 points. The fourth double-digit scorer for the Tritons was Isaiah Fuller, who tallied 10 points and six rebounds.
 
The Bearcats led for just 41 seconds in the game following a 3-pointer by redshirt senior guard Brendon Gooch (Belleville, Ill./SIU-Carbondale) nearly two minutes into the game. Gooch's trey gave the Bearcats a 3-2 lead.
 
Following Gooch's trey, the Tritons, who are the No. 4 seed in the GLVC Tournament, used a 15-2 run to push its lead to 17-5 with 12:49 left in the first half.
 
The Bearcats, though, would respond with an 8-2 run capped by three straight points from Vicentic to drop UMSL's lead to 19-13 with 10 minutes left in the opening half. UMSL would then use a 5-4 run to push in front 24-17, before the Bearcats answered back with an 8-4 run to pull within 28-25 following two free throws by sophomore guard Carson Parker (Nashville, Ill./Nashville).
 
UMSL would come right back and score six of the next eight points to extend its lead to 34-27, before junior guard Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan) hit a trey with three seconds left to cut UMSL's lead to 34-30 at the half.
 
In the first half, UMSL shot 52 percent from the field, while the Bearcats shot 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from the 3-point line.
 
Stephen opened the scoring in the second half with a trey just 30 seconds into the period to pull the Bearcats within a point at 34-33. That would be as close as the Bearcats would get as the Tritons responded to Stephen's trey with a 25-6 run over the next 12-plus minutes to push its lead to 56-39 with 8:36 remaining in the game.
 
After senior forward Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Cleveland State) hit two free throws to stop UMSL's run and pull McKendree within 56-41, the Tritons responded with a 16-7 run to take a 24 point lead at 72-48 following a basket by Lawrence Brazil III with 1:24 left in the game. Sophomore guard Kyle Elmore (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) capped the scoring by making 1-of-2 free throws with 31 seconds left. The free throw by Elmore was his first career point as a Bearcat.
 
While the Bearcats struggled shooting the ball, UMSL would finish the game shooting 51 percent from the field but was just 3-for-11 (27 percent) from the 3-point line.
 
Both teams each pulled down 32 rebounds as Parker led the way on the boards for McKendree with seven.
 
UMSL also had 11 steals and 10 assists, while McKendree had five steals and tied a season low with five assists.
 
McKendree did hold an edge in free throws as they went to the line 26 times to UMSL's 12 free throw attempts. The Bearcats went 18-for-26 (69 percent) at the line and UMSL was 9-for-12 (75 percent).
 
Here is the complete 2022 GLVC Men's Basketball Tournament First Round Schedule:
Monday, Feb. 26
#15 Maryville (12-16, 6-14 GLVC) at #2 Lewis (14-9, 12-5 GLVC)
#14 Rockhurst (11-19, 6-14 GLVC) at #3 Truman State (19-8, 13-6 GLVC)
#13 Drury (10-15, 7-10 GLVC) at #4 UMSL (20-6, 14-5 GLVC)
#12 Illinois-Springfield (12-16, 7-13 GLVC) at #5 Southern Indiana (17-7, 12-6 GLVC)
#11 Missouri S&T (11-16, 7-13 GLVC) at #6 Indianapolis (16-10, 10-8 GLVC)
#10 Quincy University (15-15, 8-12 GLVC) at #7 McKendree (13-11, 9-11 GLVC)
#9 Lindenwood (12-16, 8-12 GLVC) at #8 William Jewell (13-14, 9-10 GLVC)