CLEVELAND, Ga. (Dec. 2, 2020) – After 50 minutes of a back-and-forth Appalachian Athletic Conference battle, freshman Ty Briscoe drove to the basket to clinch the Truett McConnell University men's basketball team first AAC win of the season in double overtime over Columbia International (110-108). The Bears improved to 3-2, 1-2 AAC on the season, while the Rams fell to 3-2, 2-2 AAC.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rams took the lead the final 10 minutes of the first half and it was only up from there as they earned an 8-point lead over the Bears at the half (36-45). CIU came back out in the second half to lead by as much as nine with 10:28 to go (58-67), but with 6:04 to go, freshman RJ Bryant gave TMU their first lead since the first 10 minutes of the game with a 3-pointer (73-72). TMU went on to fall behind by five with 45 seconds remaining in regulation (80-85), but sophomore Marlon Allen sparked a 5-0 scoring run with a 3-pointer (83-85). Nonetheless, it was Briscoe who scored his first last second shot of the night in the paint (85-85), which forced the game into overtime.
 
CIU led by as much as three in the first overtime period but the Bears were resilient as they forced the game into another overtime period on another Bryant 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining (99-99). TMU carried over the momentum into double overtime as they got out front by as much as four with 1:43 on the clock (108-104). The Rams scored twice on a pair of turnovers to tie it back up with 1:02 remaining (108-108), but once again, Brisoce rose to the occasion. This time, however, it was to secure the win inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena (110-108).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Four Bears recorded double figures, while two had double-doubles. Briscoe led with a career high of 26 points with seven assists and two steals. Allen followed with a career high of 25 points and eight rebounds. Junior Enocka Franky had a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds with two assists and steals. Senior Xavier Latore recorded a career high double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Ange Badji added three assists.
 
Overall, TMU dominated the Rams in the paint outscoring by 16 (62-46). The Bears also shot 50% from the field, while CIU shot 46.2%. CIU tallied 11 3-points in comparison to TMU's seven.
 
UP NEXT
TMU will host Pensacola Christian College on Friday, Dec. 4, at 4:00 p.m., before 5-game road streak. First will be Point University on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 12:00 p.m.