CLEVELAND, Ga. (Nov. 7, 2019) – The Truett McConnell University men's basketball team trailed by 11 points at the half against St. Andrews University, but the Bears came out in the second half to win their Appalachian Athletic Conference season opener in a thrilling comeback on Thursday night inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena (92-96), which puts the Bears at 2-0, 1-0 AAC on the year.

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Right off the bat into the second half, junior Cristian Colon's bucket in the paint sparked a 14-4 scoring run by the Bears to get within two points of the Knights (43-45). The impressive run featured two TMU 3-pointers by Colon and Marlon Allen. But it was Darius Thrower's 3-pointer that tied it up 48-48. With 4:32 to go in regulation, JaDon Davis put the Bears out front for good with a scored bucket in transition (74-72).

Enocka Franky's back-to-back made free throws allowed TMU's biggest lead of the night (80-91). Although the SAU's Isaac Clay responded with two back-to-back 3-pointers (86-91), who scored 36 points on the night, the Bears were resilient enough to seal their first AAC win of the year.

LEADERS

Five Bears recorded double-digit points; led by Colon and fellow junior Xavier Latore with 16 points apiece. Colon added seven rebounds and four assists. Allen and Franky followed with 13 points each, while Allen added nine rebounds and Franky six. Davis scored 11 and Brent Kelly had four assists.

UP NEXT

TMU has a quick turnaround as they hit the road for an exhibition game at the University of South Carolina – Update on Friday, Nov. 8, at 6:00 p.m. The Bears will also host Pensacola Christian College for the homecoming game. Tip off is set for 4:00 p.m.