CLEVELAND, Ga. (February 18, 2023) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University men's basketball team hosted Union College in their final game of the regular season. The Bears gave No.1 Appalachian Athletic Conference seed Bulldogs a run for their money, forcing the game to be determined by a final second shot that left TMU falling to a score of 85-83. The Bears enter the conference tournament with a record of 12-16, 10-14 AAC, while Union moves forward with a record of 26-1, 23-0 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Union hit the board first (2-0), but a jump shot from Brent Kelly put the Bears in the game (2-2). TMU kept the Bulldogs honest by forcing the score to remain even (11-11), until Union pulled ahead with large lead (36-19). TMU did not back down as they continued to take shots, featuring a dunk from Kafunba Toure and a shot behind the three-point arc from Raul Arias-Ortega to end the half (43-28).

The start of the second half saw the Bears cut at the lead, while Union continued to move forward (60-44). The Bears came to life in the final 12 minutes of play with a three point shot, layup and two free throws from Kelly to put TMU within four points of evening play (60-56). A shot from EJ Smith gave the Bears hope, while a Smith three-pointer stole the lead (60-62). Union gained speed to steal back the advantage, but a shot from Cory Seitz kept the Bears in the game. A last minute burst of energy from TMU cut the lead to two after good free throws from Kelly and Toure, while a final layup from Cooper Rubio proved not enough (83-83) as a last second shot from the Bulldogs resulted in score of 85-83.

LEADERS
Most notable, Franky set a new program record for all time leading scorer with 1,719 points, along with setting a new program record with 128 blocks.

Kelly led the way with 27 points, going 8-10 at the free throw line and recording six assists. Smith followed with 19 points and going 4-8 at the three-point arc, while Franky had 13 points with 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to compete in the AAC Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Saturday, Feb. 25. Opponent and game time TBA.