WEST POINT, Ga. (Dec. 8, 2020) – The Truett McConnell University men's basketball team traveled to Point University on Tuesday afternoon for an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup to kick off a four-game streak on the road over the next five days. Although TMU outscored by two in the second half, the Skyhawks ultimately came out on top (81-74) to defeat the Bears for the second time this season. The Bears fell to 4-3, 1-3 AAC on the year, while Point won their third straight to improve to 9-3, 5-3 AAC.
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
After Point opened up the game with a 3-pointer, it was only up from there as the visiting Bears fell behind by as much as 21 (12-33) after another 3-pointer with 6:33 to go before the half. TMU, however, picked up the pace as they closed out the first half on a dominating 17-5 scoring run, which was sparked by a Tommy Wandrum 3-pointer. The late rally minimized the deficit to nine at halftime for TMU (29-38).
 
Freshman RJ Bryant put TMU back within six on a bucket in the paint eight minutes into the second half (47-41), but the Skyhawks continued to stay hot from the field as they pushed to get ahead by 17 (45-62). The Bears, however, rallied to close the gap back up (67-72) with three minutes remaining, but a handful of free throws ultimately proved to be the difference as Point clinched their second win over the Bears (74-81).
 
LEADERS
Marlon Allen led in scoring with 23 points, including 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc, and tallied seven rebounds. Enocka Franky followed with 19 points and six rebounds, while senior Spencer Smith led with 13 rebounds. Freshman Ty Briscoe led with four assists and four steals. Briscoe also scored nine, which included going 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Senior Xavier Latore added seven points and two assists.
 
Overall, TMU outscored the Skyhawks in the paint by 10 (38-28), while Point shot 45.8% from the field and the Bears shot 43.9%. Most notable, the Bears shot over 50% in the second half.
 
UP NEXT
TMU is now headed to Lakeland, Florida for the Southeastern Classic. The Bears will first face Ave Maria University on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 8:00 p.m., and then Southeastern University on Friday, Dec. 11, at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 12, the Bears face Florida College at 4:00 p.m.