CLEVELAND, Ga. (Feb. 6, 2021) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University men's basketball team went face to face with St. Andrews University inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena, where they secured the lead in both halves to clinch an Appalachian Athletic Conference win with a final score of 90-85. The Bears now sit at a season record of 8-14, 5-11 AAC, while the Knights fell to 3-8, 2-8 AAC.

PLAY BY PLAY

Both teams were neck and neck until TMU broke away with a four-point lead after a Xavier Latore 3-pointer (11-7). The Bears earned up to a 10-point lead in the 13th minute from a pair of free throws by Ty Briscoe (21-11), but the Knights responded with shots of their own, capable of making the game even at the four-minute mark (34-34). St. Andrews had a two-point lead with 55 seconds remaining (40-42), but a Jared Bomer 3-pointer put the Bears ahead by one to end the half (43-42).

The second half saw the Knights make the first move to be up by one (43-44), but TMU quickly retaliated, securing the lead for the remainder of the half. The Bears were up by at most 14 points after a Briscoe 3-pointer (62-48), and it wasn't until the final 40 seconds that St. Andrews was only two away from bridging the gap, their only opportunity of the half (87-85). TMU took a final four-point run to ultimately clinch the win with a score of 90-85.

BY THE NUMBERS

Briscoe led the Bears with 20 points and five assists. Junior Enocka Franky followed with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, including going 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Sophomore Marlon Allen had a double-double of his own with 16 points and 13 rebounds, followed by freshmen EJ Smith and Bomer who had eight points apiece. Brent Kelly added six points and led with seven assists.

UP NEXT

The Bears will face Milligan University for the next two game days, starting Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Milligan College, Tenn., with a tipoff at 7:00 p.m. The final matchup will take place Thursday, Feb. 11, inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena, tipoff at 7:00 p.m.