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Historic season ends in AAC tournament final

Box Score KINGSPORT, Tenn. | Truett McConnell's quest for its first-ever NAIA national tournament bid fell minutes short, as the Bears dropped a 73-69 emotional roller coaster to Union College. It was the first time the Bears had advanced to the championship game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament.

A back-and-forth first half saw Union lead 29-27 at the intermission. The Bulldogs then scored two quick baskets to extend the lead to 33-27 in the opening minute of the second half. The next nine minutes belonged to the Bears.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Myles Monroe and Christian Davis knotted the score at 33. A basket in the paint by senior David Campbell got TMU the lead with 16:20 remaining. The Bears pushed the advantage to 50-42 after a 3-point play from forward Mario Westbrooks with just over 10 minutes left. But costly turnovers were the Bears' undoing.

Union converted those turnovers and mounted the comeback. Tournament MVP K.J. Duronslett scored six unanswered points to give the No. 1 seed a 53-50 lead with 6:57 left. But the Bears answered right back. A Davis 3-pointer and a Westbrooks lay-up put TMU up 55-53 with under 6 minutes remaining. It was the last time the Bears would lead. Union's Austin Cummins buried a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the turnover bug hit the Bears again.

Union extended the lead to nine points with 3:33 remaining before the Bears made one final push. Campbell hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and TMU trailed 66-63 with 2:14 left. But Duronslett was too tough, scoring a basket in the paint. After another TMU turnover, senior Dominique Lindsey finished off the Bears with a floater in the lane.

"We gave great effort and defended well all tournament long," said Bears Head Coach Jon Yeh. "But when we play Union, I always tell our guys if we have the same number of chances to score I like our odds. With the turnover differential, we gave them 10 more chances to score and that was the game."

Both teams shot 39 percent from the field. The Bears connected on 35 percent of their 3-pointers compared to just 20 percent for Union. The difference was the turnover category where the Bulldogs forced a 22-12 edge.

Campbell, playing on a badly sprained ankle, led the Bears with 15 points. Freshman Calvin White, capping off a phenomenal tournament, posted 14 points and six rebounds. Forward Jacob Booke netted 13 points, while Davis finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Booke and Davis were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

 "Obviously, we are very disappointed," added Yeh. "We had so many close losses in conference this season, and I think our guys know we let this one slip away. But we've had a great run this year, and hopefully our returners will use this as a reminder and extra motivation to make sure it doesn't happen next season."

 The Bears end the season 20-13, a record number of wins as a four-year NAIA program. It was also the first time TMU made it past the quarterfinal round of the AAC tournament. 
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Players Mentioned

Christian Davis

#4 Christian Davis

G
5' 11"
Junior
Jacob Booke

#2 Jacob Booke

F
6' 6"
Junior
Calvin White

#10 Calvin White

F
6' 6"
Freshman
Myles Monroe

#21 Myles Monroe

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Mario Westbrooks

#1 Mario Westbrooks

F
6' 6"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Christian Davis

#4 Christian Davis

5' 11"
Junior
G
Jacob Booke

#2 Jacob Booke

6' 6"
Junior
F
Calvin White

#10 Calvin White

6' 6"
Freshman
F
Myles Monroe

#21 Myles Monroe

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Mario Westbrooks

#1 Mario Westbrooks

6' 6"
Graduate Student
F