KANSAS CITY, Mo. - McKendree University men's basketball (12-11, 8-8 GLVC) outlasted Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon, beating the Hawks, 80-75, in a road Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. The Bearcats were led by senior guard
Bryson Bultman, who tallied 32 points on the day while seven individuals scored during the outing. McKendree used paint scoring to jump ahead of the Hawks, outscoring the host, 26-20, while out-shooting Rockhust by nearly 10 percent from the field. The Bearcats return home for their next contests on February 16 and 18 against Misosuri S&T and Drury.
McKendree's leader in Bultman fired-off his second 30-point game of the season with a 75 percent shooting performance on Saturday, going 9 of 12 from the field overall, 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, and 11 of 13 at the charity stripe. Bultman also grabbed five rebounds on the day while dishing out four assists whilst making his impact defensively with a pair of steals and a block. The game marked his 19th double-figure scoring game of the season and 11th since the turn of the new year. Junior forward
Milos Vicentic was the Bearcats' other double-figure scorer of the afternoon with a 15-point outing, which also was hist 19th of the season. Nearly making the double-figure leap were two more guards with senior
Eric Powell II and sophomore
Caleb Zurliene both dropping nine points in the contest.
McKendree found its shooting once again with a 48.9 percent mark from the field, hitting 23 of 47, and over 80 percent from the free throw line, making 25 of 31. The Bearcats narrowly out-rebounded the Hawks, 36 to 35, but used free throws to create a gap as Rockhurst had just 13 on the game.
The contest sat neck-and-neck from the tip-off to the end, with McKendree grabbing a seven-point lead late in the first half, 35-28. The lead was quickly whittled down by the Hawks as they came back to lead by one point over the Bearcats at the 1:07 mark. McKendree recovered the lead in the closing moments of the period as
Bryson Bultman scored five points, making it a 41-38 game at the first half buzzer.
In the second half, the Bearcats built up a 10 point lead, which included a five minute stretch of zero scoring between the squads. McKendree and Rockhurst battled over the remaining 12 minutes, but the Bearcats contained the Hawks with stifling defense, not allowing their lead to drop below four points in the time frame. McKendree sealed the victory with eight made free throws over the final minute.
The Bearcats leveled their in-league record with the win at 8-8 this year while jumping one game above .500 overall to sit at 12-11. McKendree currently sits tied for seventh in the GLVC with the win.
LEADERS
#13
Bryson Bultman | 32 points / 9-12 FGs / 3-4 3PTs / 11-13 FTs / 5 rebounds / 4 assists / 2 steals
#31
Milos Vicentic | 15 points / 6-9 FGs / 1-2 3PTs / 4 rebounds
UP NEXT
McKendree men's basketball hosts Missouri S&T on Thursday, February 16 at 7:30PM, and then Drury on Saturday, February 18 at 3PM to conclude its home slate. February 18 will be senior day for the Bearcats.
