Cleveland, Ga. - The Truett-McConnell men's basketball team dropped their home game to Thomas University last night, Nov. 15. Despite an aggressive offense during the second half, the Night Hawks overpowered the Bears 64-78 in their National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) contest, advancing the undefeated Night Hawks to a 6-0 record.

The Bears opened the ball game with an aggressive offense, using their height over the Night Hawks as an advantage. The squad put repetitive numbers on the board in the first few minutes of the game, establishing an early lead on the visiting Night Hawks.

Despite rebounding both offensively and defensively, the Night Hawks started to gain momentum as they maintained possession of the ball for most of the first half, establishing an 18 point lead by the end of the first half. 

The second half saw the Bears even more energetic than before, the squad fighting to put numbers on the board. The Night Hawks, although smaller than the Bears, used their speed to their advantage. At its height, the Night Hawks established a lengthy 22 point lead in the second half. The Bears never gave up until the buzzer sounded, revealing a 64-78 score in favor of the visiting team. 

In their strong efforts against the undefeated Night Hawks, three squad members finished the game with double digits in the points column.  Junior guard Andretti Loyd led the Bears with 16 points, while Rudy Deaza was not far behind with 14 points. Sophomore J'Quayveon Williams recorded a double-double on the night, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Guards Deaza and Xavier Holland combined for nine assists against the Night Hawks.

With this loss, the Bears are now 2-3 overall, and 0-1 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. The Bears will next be seen at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17 when they travel to Cleveland, Tenn. to face Lee University. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, the Bears play host to AAC opponent Montreat College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in The Bear Cave. 

For up-to-date information on this game and more, visit the TMCBears Athletics official website. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories by following @TMCBears on Twitter, or visiting the TMCBears Facebook page.