LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University men's basketball dropped a close contest with Missouri S&T on Thursday evening, falling by just two points to the Miners. McKendree now holds a 12-12 overall record for the season and a 8-9 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference as the conference tournament takes place in two short weeks at Lindenwood University.

The stakes were high heading into the game as each team sported an 8-8 record in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

In the first half, neither team led by more than five points as the Bearcats and Miners traded baskets with quick outlets and short possessions. McKendree shot 50 percent from the field in the first half while the Miners shot 41 percent. The Bearcats also sank 5-of-12 threes in the first half, courtesy of sophomore forward Hayden Meakes and senior guard Bryson Bultman with two buckets each beyond the arc.  At the half, the score was knotted at 33-33.

In the second half, the Bearcats and Miners traded baskets for the first five minutes until McKendree a layup from Meakes and five points from senior guard Aleksander Davitkov put the Bearcats on top by six. McKendree hit a 13-0 scoring run at the 8:29 mark which would become the largest lead of the game.

The Miners put up a fight, climbing back within two at 68-66 with 1:50 left. The battle came down to the wire as the Bearcats and Miners were locked at 68-68 after a put-back from Missouri S&T's Ikenne Okeke. The Bearcats had possession with the 1:07 to go in the game.

McKendree worked down the shot clock until with two seconds to go, Bultman fired a turn-around jumper the was just off the mark. Missouri S&T's fast-paced offense came charging down the court, as Okeke handed off to Julien Smith for a mid-range jumper to put the Miners up by two.

WIth a last-second attempt, the Bearcats missed the mark, falling to the Miners, 70-68.

The Bearcats were led by four players in double digits including Bultman with 15 points and Meakes at 14 points (tying his career high) in addition to senior guard Eric Powell II and fifth-year senior Luke Hensler with 10 points each. Bultman pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists for the night.

As a team, McKendree shot nearly 50 percent from the field at 49.1 percent, hitting 26-of-53 shots on the night, while Missouri S&T netting 44.8 percent of shots from the field. The Bearcats outshot the Miners beyond the arc 37.5 percent to 27.8 percent.

The Miners improve to 15-10 overall and 9-8 in conference play as they were led by guard Lovell Williams with 17 points.

Up next, McKendree will close out its home schedule and celebrate three seniors on Senior Day with a 3 p.m. game against Drury on Saturday, Feb. 18. The seniors will be honored prior to the start of the game.