ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The men's basketball team has won again in come-from-behind fashion once again, this time against the University of Missouri-St. Louis in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action on Saturday, February 1st at the Mark Twain Building in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Score: McKendree University 68, University of Missouri-St. Louis 66 

Record: Bearcats 10-10, 7-6 GLVC | Tritons 10-10, 8-5 GLVC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

UMSL came out strong in the first few minutes of action, where they went up 7-2 after fifth-year forward Janeir Harris knocked down a three and a mid-range two-point shot. McKendree's senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) answered right back in helping ignite a 13-0 run in which he contributed seven of them to grab an eight-point lead. In the next three minutes of play, the Tritons would tack on five more straight points but still being down to the Bearcats, 12-15. 

It was a three-point barrage to end the first half of play for the Bearcats, as senior guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) sunk in a pair of shots from beyond the arc as Stein and senior forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia) each dropped in one. Yet down by eight, the Tritons would embark with 16 straight points to take hold of a 37-29 lead heading into halftime. 

The run continued at the beginning of half number two as UMSL went on a 14-7 run with junior forward Troy Glover II getting in a few dunks and tip-ins while junior guard Matt Enright put in a couple of three balls. Another three from Whitaker assisted McKendree with a nine-point spurt to cut their deficit to just six. Both teams traded baskets for the next few minutes as UMSL would have a 59-49 lead with 7:37 to go in regulation. 

Not being intimidated by the ruthless crowd at the Mark Twain Building, the Bearcats caught fire from the field, as Meakes nailed his next three three-point shot attempts to spark a 16-2 run and regain a four-point cushion. Another Dunk by Tritons' Glover II brought his squad to within one with 27 seconds remaining, but converted free throws made by McKendree guards senior Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.) sophomore Luka Mateski (Belgrade, Serbia) sealed the win for the visitors, 68-66. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Stein led McKendree with 16 points on 6-11 shooting and 3-5 from distance while collecting six assists and five rebounds. 

• Meakes, followed closely with 15 points as he shot 4-9 from three along with four assists and three rebounds. 

• Niesman has 12 points while going 4-8 from the field and a team-high six rebounds. 

• Whitaker finished with a perfect shooting night, going 3-3 from beyond the arc. 

• UMSL finished with four double-digit scorers with Glover II leading with 17 on 8-10 shooting along with a game-high 15 rebounds plus two blocks. 

• McKendree shot 46.3% from the field, 40.7% from distance, and 70.0% from the stripe while the Tritons ended with 53.2%, 44.4%, and 50.0% respectively. 

• McKendree was +3 in points off of turnovers, while having an astounding 30-0 advantage on bench points. 

• UMSL was +8 in points inside the paint, +3 in second-chance points, and +4 in fast break points. 

• This is the second consecutive game where the Bearcats have erased a 15-point deficit. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will be back on the court on Thursday, February 6th, when they stay on the road as they head to Springfield, Illinois, to take on the University of Illinois Springfield at The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) with tip-off set for 7:30 PM CT. 

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