ROLLA, Mo. – McKendree University men's basketball fell 94-77 to Missouri S&T in a conference game on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats drop to 6-7 on the season with a 2-4 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
The Bearcats were led offensively by senior guard Bryson Bultman with 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists while junior forward Miloš Vicentic tallied 23 points and seven rebounds in the setback. Bultman was 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from three as Vicentic shot 11-for-17 from the field.
 
Along with Bultman and Vicentic, sophomore forward Caleb Zurliene posted 10 points in the contest.
 
The Miners jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead at three minutes into the first half with a combined ten points from Julien Smith and Lovell Williams. McKendree attempted to chip away at the Miners' lead with three three-pointers from Bultman, but a tenacious offense from Missouri S&T extended their lead to 36-20 with seven minutes remaining in the half.
 
McKendree responded with an 8-0 run, courtesy of four points each from Vicentic and Zurliene, to close the gap to 28-36 before the Miners would score again. At the half, Missouri S&T had outshot the Bearcats 63 percent to 53 percent from the field to lead by 11, 47-36.
 
Out of halftime, McKendree began on a 10-5 run to close the Miners' lead to six while defending the miners in a 1-2-2 half-court set-up. Vicentic's 10 points in the first five minutes of the half helped put the Bearcats within one as McKendree battled to overcome the 56-55 deficit.
 
Halfway through the second half, the Miners had once again extended their lead at 68-61 as Bultman sank four consecutive free throws in 25 seconds to chip away at Missouri S&T's advantage. Senior guard Eric Powell II earned three tries at the foul stripe to set the score at 70-66 with 8:45 to play in the contest.
 
With four minutes to go, the Bearcats trailed by 10, and the Miners went on a 12-5 run to close out the game and defeat McKendree 94-77.
 
As a team, McKendree shot 52 percent from the field, 31 percent from three, and 91 percent from the free throw line while Missouri S&T recorded 62 percent from the field, 45 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the foul stripe. Missouri S&T just edged out McKendree on the boards, 26-25.
 
The Miners had three players with 20 or more points as Smith tallied 25 points, Williams netted 22 points, and junior forward Ikenna Okeke recorded 20 points in the game.
 
The Bearcats will resume GLVC play this coming week as they host UMSL at Harry M. Statham Sports Center on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.