ATHENS, Tenn. (Feb. 6, 2021) – Despite trailing by eight at halftime, the Truett McConnell University women's basketball team dominated the third quarter outscoring Tennessee Wesleyan University by 17, which ultimately lifted the Lady Bears over the Bulldogs (63-52) in their seventh Appalachian Athletic Conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon. TMU improved to 10-11, 7-11 AAC on the year, while the Bulldogs fell to 8-7, 8-7 AAC. Last time they met, the Lady Bears fell by a single point (48-47).
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Lady Bears got off to a slow start with TWU leading by as much as 14 throughout the first 10 minutes of the game. The second quarter saw the Lady Bears get back within as little as four, after a pair of free throws by Sierra Kendall, on their way to an eight-point deficit at halftime (20-28). However, it was only a matter of time before the Lady Bears got out front for good.
 
TMU opened up the third quarter with a strong 12-2 scoring run, which featured two 3-pointers by Kendall and Natalie Nixon, in route to lead by as much as 11 in the third and 13 in the fourth. The Bulldogs were capable of getting back within six with 49 seconds to go in the game (58-52), but TMU closed regulation on a 5-2 run to win by 11 points with a final score of 63-52.
 
LEADERS
Three Lady Bears scored double figures and were led by Re'Tavia Floyd who had 27 points, including going 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc and 14-for-16 from the free throw line, and five steals. Fellow junior Quan Holton followed with 15 points and five rebounds, while senior Kendall had 14 points and eight rebounds. Junior Sydney Rumble led with four assists, while freshman Sydnie Smith and Floyd added two assists apiece.
 
Overall, TMU outscored by six in the paint (26-20) and shot 36.4% from the field in comparison to TWU who shot 29.1%.
 
UP NEXT
TMU is back on the road at Milligan University on Tuesday, Feb. 9, before returning home to the Benjamin F. Brady Arena on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 2:00 p.m.