WALESKA, Ga. (Jan. 21, 2020) – The Truett McConnell University men's basketball team dug too big of a hole to get out of in the first half at Reinhardt University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference contest on Thursday evening. The Bears fell 88-78 to the Eagles, which put them at 4-12, 1-9 AAC on the season, while Reinhardt improved to 12-5, 7-4 AAC.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Once Reinhardt opened up with a bucket in the paint, the Bears were unable to gain any type of lead the rest of the way. In fact, TMU fell behind by as much a 25 throughout the first 10 minutes of regulation (22-47, 49-24). The Bears worked to come in from behind by as little as six (20-26) with seven minutes before the half, but the Eagles took off to eventually claim a 23-point advantage at halftime (26-49).
 
The Bears, however, came out to ultimately win the second half by 13 (52-39) but it ultimately proved not enough. An EJ Smith 3-pointer allowed TMU to trail by as little as four with 4:07 to go in regulation (75-79), but Reinhardt protected their home floor by closing out on a 9-3 scoring run to claim the AAC victory by 10 (78-88).
 
LEADERS
Junior Enocka Franky led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Smith followed with 15 points, including going 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line, and two steals. Marlon Allen had 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while freshman Ty Briscoe scored 10 points, led with five assists, and added two steals. Senior Xavier Latore added three assists.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday, Jan. 23, for a tipoff time of 2:00 p.m., before returning home for four consecutive AAC games. First on the schedule is Montreat College on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7:00 p.m.