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Resilient Bears Take Down Tennessee Wesleyan

Box Score  
           
            The Truett-McConnell Bears left no doubt late Wednesday night that they are a force to be reckoned with in the AAC. The Bears trailed by as many 18 points early in the second half, only to power past conference rival Tennessee Wesleyan en route to a 63-58 win. The Bears' rally left many fans leaving the arena claiming that perhaps that was one of the biggest home wins for the men's basketball team in the last decade at Truett-McConnell. The Jon Yeh coached squad definitely made sure the stellar home crowd left the Bear Cave rattled with excitement.
            The Bears got off to a cold start from the field and turnovers proved costly early in the contest with the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs scoring 14 unanswered points off turnovers in the first half. The Bulldogs' bench was also a huge thorn in the side of the Bears early in the game, outscoring the Bears' reserves 11-2 in the first half. The Bears were held to 33.33 percent from the floor on just 8 of 24 shooting during the first half. As a result, they limped into the locker room down 11 by a score of 31-20.
            Those who have followed the Bears this season have been able to sense that this team has a swagger that reassures fans that the game is never over regardless of the deficit. Those few who still had doubts were turned into believers during tonight's game, as the Bears returned to the court in the second half with a chip on their shoulder. After a series of halftime adjustments implemented by Coach Yeh, the Bears stormed the court, and the comeback began in the opening minutes of the second half. Down by 18, the Bears began a drive that will be talked about for years on campus by those who witnessed it live.
            Being led by sophomore J'Quayveon Williams, the Bears began to chip away at the Bulldogs' lead with clutch shooting and ruthless defense. Williams led all scorers with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 1 block during his 35 minutes of play. David Campbell (11 points), Xavier Holland (10 points), and JR Hurst (10 points) all joined the Bears' offensive by scoring in the double digits, while at the same time stepping up their defensive pressure on the court. The Bears shot 46.15 percent from the floor during the second half, while going 4 for 7 from behind the three point arch. Their defense rose to the occasion, holding the Bulldogs to just 33.33 percent from the floor on 8 of 24 shots during the second half. The Bears went on to outscore the Bulldogs 43-27 during the half on their way to the 63-58 comeback victory in front of a ruckus crowd.
            "The key in the second half was getting stops on defense, limiting them to one shot each time down the court, and getting timely shooting," said Coach Yeh. "We made some really bad decisions on offense in the first half, but we righted the ship and took much better care of the ball after halftime."
            The win moves the Bears' record to 14-8 overall for the season, while their conference record climbed to 9-3. The win marked the third straight win for the Bears, and it was their 8th win in front of the home crowd this season. The Bears will look to continue their winning ways this Saturday, January 31st, as they travel to West Point, Georgia to take on Point University. The game will mark the send matchup of the season for the two conference teams, with the Bears winning the first match-up in Cleveland with a score of 88-72 in late November. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:00 PM.
 

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