SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The McKendree Bearcats spent the evening bombing away from long range against the Drury Panthers, but it was a single long-range shot by Drury senior Cal Hartley with 23 seconds to play in overtime that carried Drury to a 92-88 win over the Bearcats Wednesday night at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
McKendree would drain a total of eighteen three-point shots on the night, but Hartley's three-pointer from the left-wing gave the Panthers a 90-88 lead and was the difference-maker, as they improved to 3-1 on the season.
 
The teams battled back-and-forth the final five minutes of regulation play before a McKendree baseline jumper with four seconds remaining, tying the contest at 78-78 and sending the game into overtime.
 
And while Hartley's shot was big, the play of fellow Drury senior Conley Garrison was even bigger.  Garrison poured in a game-high 34 points, including 27 in the second half in guiding the Panthers to the win.
 
"Conley got it going in the second half after he didn't in the first half, and he got to the free-throw line eleven times which was big," said Drury head coach Steve Hesser.  "I just liked the collective grit that we displayed, even though it was far from perfect."
 
After falling behind by seven points midway through the first half, the Panthers outscored the Bearcats 25-14 to close the half and held a 37-33 lead at halftime.
 
"I think we hung in there," added Hesser.  "They kind of sliced us up to start the game, but we hung in there and had the lead at halftime, then wound up getting enough stops when we needed them."
 
The Panthers placed four players in double figures, with sophomore Jason Montgomery adding 16, Hartley finishing with 14, and junior Victor Nwagbarachoa closing with 13.
 
The Bearcats were paced by 22 from Brendon Gooch, while Oliver Stephen and Bryson Bultman contributed 21 and 20 as McKendree fell to 4-3 on the year and in conference play.
 
In addition to his 34 points, Garrison led the rebounding effort for Drury with nine, added five assists, and ended the night with four steals.
 
The Panthers remain home for their next outing, Saturday, Jan. 9, when they host 13^th ranked Truman State in a scheduled 3:15 pm Great Lakes Valley Conference showdown at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
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