KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The men's basketball team roared back in the final minutes of regulation to take over in overtime against Rockhurst University in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action on Monday, December 2nd at the Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse in Kansas City, Missouri.
Score: McKendree University 91, Rockhurst University 86 (OT)
Record: Bearcats 5-3, 2-0 GLVC | Hawks 4-3, 1-1 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
McKendree was able to set the tone early, starting off a 13-7 run that consisted of five made layups in which senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) put in the first two for his team. A couple of sunken three-pointers by graduate guard Jesse White and junior forward Jaden Flournoy, plus a couple of free throws, put Rockhurst back up front 15-13 with 10:47 remaining in the first half.
During the next nine minutes of action sought the two teams traded buckets, hoping one would run away with a lead. That wish would be granted to the Hawks, who with under 1:30 remaining netted in five straight points behind a layup from Flournoy and a three-pointer by Nick Arensberg to give their squad a seven-point advantage. Within the final 10 minutes, senior forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia) scored the Bearcats' last 10 points, giving him 15 in the half to find themselves down 29-34 at halftime.
Coming out of the extended break, Rockhurst took it inside for an easy layup from graduate forward Daniel Carr to up the lead back to seven. Then, a monumental shift occurred with McKendree nailing a trio of shots from beyond the arc from Stein and fellow senior guards Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.) and Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) to help ignite a 13-0 run in only 2:30 of game time. Finding themselves down by six, the Hawks would respond with a hefty 15-2 run where Flournoy took over with eight of those points and regained the lead once more with 11 minutes remaining, up 51-44.
The Bearcats would spend the next several minutes trying to claw back into control of the game, but the two sides would have an answer for every opposing bucket made to keep the Hawks up front. Down seven with 2:35 left in regulation, McKendree would take it to the rim each time and draw a handful of fouls as they sunk in six free throws that initiated a game-changing 11-3 run and was capped off by the shot of the night from Niesman, who with all confidence, pulled up from behind the three-point line and swished in the shot to tie the game at 76-all with three seconds remaining. That sequence would lead to both squads' first overtime of the season.
Continuing to bring in an abundance of physicality, Niesman would put the Bearcats on his back, scoring nine of the team's 15 points in the overtime period to the Hawks' 10, and would ultimately win the game 91-86 thanks to a 26-13 combined run that began at the end of the second half.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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McKendree's Niesman came away with a career-high 30 points on an efficient 10-13 from the floor, 2-4 from three-point range, and 8-9 from the free throw line. He rounded out with two steals, a block, an assist, and a game-high-tying nine rebounds.
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Stein was not too far behind, as he flew under the radar in the win, scoring 26 points on 9-16 shooting while going 2-5 from deep. He also had six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of helpers.
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Rockhurst finished with five double-figure scorers, most notably being junior guard Jaylen Wesley, who dropped 22 points on 6-11 shooting plus a perfect 10-10 from the line. He also had two steals, a block, and an assist.
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McKendree shot 54.4% from the field, a season-high 40.9% from distance, and 74.1% from the stripe while the Hawks ended with 40.3%, 24.1%, and 75.8% respectively.
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The last time McKendree went past regulation was when they went to three overtimes against the University of Illinois-Springfield on February 10th, 2024, where they won 121-116. That was also the last time a Bearcat player recorded 30+ points in a game and the last time two players tallied at least 25 points in a game.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back on the court on Saturday, December 7th when they host the University of Illinois Springfield at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois with tip-off set for 3:00 PM CT.
For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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