CLEVELAND, Ga. (Feb. 16, 2021) – The Truett McConnell University men's basketball team led Reinhardt University by eight points at halftime (41-33), but ultimately fell by three (76-73) in their final home game of the season on Tuesday evening inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena. The Bears fell to a record of 9-17, 6-14 AAC on the season, while the Eagles, who currently rank second in the Appalachian Athletic Conference standings, won their fifth straight to improve to 18-7, 13-6 AAC. Last time they met, TMU fell by 10 (88-78) on the road in January.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The first 13 minutes saw a tied score seven different times, with Reinhardt getting out front by as much as five, but the Bears closed out the final seven minutes on a 15-7 scoring run to possess an eight-point lead at halftime (41-33). TMU carried over the momentum into the second half as they opened up on a 7-3 run to earn their largest lead of the game (48-36), but at the 11-minute mark, Reinhardt drained a 3-pointer to get back out front (53-54).

Reinhardt themselves rallied to get ahead by double figures (61-72) but it all came down to the final two minutes of regulation when the Bears closed in on the visiting Eagles. In fact, the Bears held the Eagles scoreless for the final 2:41 of regulation, while a Ty Briscoe 3-pointer fueled a 7-0 scoring run to put TMU within three (73-76) with 43 seconds remaining. The Bears, however, came up short as Reinhardt clinched their second win over TMU of the season.

LEADERS
Briscoe and sophomore Brent Kelly led all scorers with 16 points apiece. Kelly led with four assists, while Briscoe and freshman EJ Smith followed with three. Junior Enocka Franky had a double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds with the addition of three blocks. Sophomore Marlon Allen added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.

UP NEXT
The Bears have a quick turnaround as they look to wrap up their regular season on the road at Columbia International University on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7:00 p.m.