COLUMBUS, Ohio – Opening the season at the Midwest Region Crossover hosted by Ohio Dominican University, the Bearcats fell short to the Tiffin University Dragons by the score of 68-65. McKendree got a career-high in scoring from Milos Vicentic who posted 33 points on 14 of 23 from the field.

As a team, the Bearcats shot 54.9% from the field, 3 of 11 from beyond the arc and 6 of 8 from the charity stripe. Joey Niesman, making his debut in a Bearcat uniform, chipped in with 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting.

After leading by a point at the half time break, the Dragons grabbed a nine-point lead at the under 12 media timeout. McKendree would fight back and eventually take the lead with five and a half minutes remaining in the contest. The game came down to the wire as Tiffin took a three-point lead after a pair of made free throw by Morgan Taylor with nine seconds left.

The Bearcats got the ball into the front court and called a timeout with five seconds left. With the inbound from the sideline, Caleb Zurliene got an open look in the corner to tie the game, but the shot would hit the rim and bounce out.

McKendree finishes its time in Ohio tomorrow against the hosts in the Ohio Dominican Panthers at 2:00 p.m. central time.