INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - McKendree University men's basketball defeated Northern Michigan University 93-83 on Sunday evening to advance to the championship round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at the University of Indianapolis. The Bearcats are set to face the No.2-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis for the fourth time this season. The previous meeting between the Bearcats and the Tritons occurred in the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament.
In the semifinal win, the Bearcats shot 71.4 percent from the field in the first half to accumulate a 40-33 lead over the Wildcats. McKendree continued its hot streak in the second half, beginning with a 12-0 run to gain its largest lead over Northern Michigan, 61-37.
Northern Michigan did not back down as guard Max Bjorklund led the offensive charge for the Wildcats in the second half. Bjorkland netted 26-second half points as the Wildcats battled to tie the game at 78-all with 3:03 left to play. A strong defensive effort from McKendree held off the Wildcats in the final three minutes as the Bearcats claimed their first-ever NCAA tournament semifinal win, 93-83.
Offensively, McKendree was led by junior guard Milos Vicentic who netted a new career-high 31 points just one day after scoring his previous career high of 26 points against Indianapolis. Vicentic was 10-of-15 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe, recording 24 total points. Senior guard Eric Powell II tallied his most impressive shooting performance of the year at a perfect 8-of-8 from the field and 6-of-6 from the three-point line, including a buzzer-beater three-pointer to end the half with 1.9 seconds left. Powell set season-highs in points, field goals made, three-pointers made, and shooting percentage.
Also in double digits for the Bearcats were senior guard Bryson Bultman with 15 points including a 7-of-7 performance at the free throw line and game-high six assists while sophomore guard Caleb Zurliene added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Zurliene recorded a game-high three blocks to maintain his 2.3 blocks per game average for the season.
As a team, McKendree shot 58.8 percent from the field, marking its seventh game in a row shooting over 50 percent. Additionally, the Bearcats were 45.5 percent from beyond the arc to tally their sixth consecutive game shooting over 40 percent from the three-point line. A key factor for McKendree late in the game was free throws as the Bearcats shot 85.2 percent from the foul line.
Click here to view McKendree's post-game press conference featuring Vicentic, head coach George Suggs, and Bultman.
Coming up, McKendree continues to make history for men's basketball with a NCAA Division II Midwest Regional championship appearance on Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET at the University of Indianapolis as they face No.2-seeded UMSL. The game is available for viewing on the GLVC Sports Network website.
