ST. CHARLES, Mo. - McKendree University men's basketball won its first-ever Great Lakes Valley championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating the University of Missouri-St. Louis 62-51. The Bearcats were seeded sixth heading into the tournament and improve their record to 18-12 overall following the win.
McKendree claimed control of the championship game from the beginning, climbing to an early 21-10 lead over the Tritons in nine minutes of play. The Bearcats shot over 50 percent from the floor in the first two rounds of the tournament and this game proved to be no different as McKendree began the game 7-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. In the first half alone, the Bearcats sank 15-of-22 attempt from the field and 6-of-9 three-pointers. The Tritons could not match the offensive efforts of McKendree as UMSL shot 11-for-29 from the field and struggled to hit any threes.
At the end of 20 minutes, McKendree held a 38-24 advantage over UMSL.
In the second half, UMSL would only come as close as five points to the Bearcats' lead with a few short scoring runs, closing the gap to 54-49 with 2:35 left in the contest. McKendree scored on back-to-back turnovers from the Tritons and held off UMSL's last-minute efforts to claim the 62-51 victory.
Overall, the Bearcats hit 51.1 percent of field goals and 46.7 percent of three-point tries.
Senior guard Bryson Bultman netted 20 points to lead McKendree, firing 7-for-18 from the field and 3-for-7 from three-point range in the contest. Junior forward Milos Vicentic tallied 18 points hitting 7-of-13 field goals and 2-of-3 three-pointers while sophomore forward Caleb Zurliene added 13 points including 11 in the second half. Bultman and Zurliene each grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Vicentic was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player while Bultman and Zurliene were voted to the All-Tournament team along with UMSL's Bowen Sandquist and Isaiah Fuller.
"This was an incredible day for McKendree. I could not be prouder of our guys as they again made program history. They deserve so much credit for the last few weeks and all they've given our basketball community," said McKendree head coach George Suggs. "The support we've felt this season has been incredible. These players are tremendous ambassadors for this university and represent our program with such pride. This team deserves to be called champions."
The Bearcats advance to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional in Indianapolis this coming weekend. McKendree earned a No. 8 seed and is set to face the No. 1-seeded University of Indianapolis who earned an at-large berth after falling to UMSL in the GLVC semifinals. UMSL also made the cut for the regional, securing the No. 2 seed.
McKendree's NCAA round one contest against Indianapolis will be on Saturday, March 11 at 5 p.m. ET.
Click here to find the complete NCAA Division II 64-team bracket.
