CLEVELAND, Ga. (February 9, 2023) - The Truett McConnell University men's basketball team hosted Appalachian Athletic Conference rival Kentucky Christian College inside the Benjamin F. Brady Arena, where the Bears' offensive rally in the final minutes ultimately secured an 89-77 victory over the Knights. TMU rises to a record of 11-14, 9-12 AAC, while the Knights fall to 5-21, 5-17 AAC. 

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Bears worked from the start with individual three-pointers from EJ Smith and Brent Kelly to capture an early lead. Multiple layups from Enocka Franky and Raul Arias-Ortega kept TMU ahead, while the Knights responded with shots of their own to steal the lead. Back-to-back clutch shots behind the three-point arc from Cooper Rubio kept the Bears within two, followed by layups from Arias-Ortega, Franky and Smith to recapture the lead. Both teams were back and forth, while free throws from Smith and Franky, kept the Bears competitive, but with shots in the final seconds, the Knights sent TMU into the half trailing, 41-43.

In the second half, both teams continued to battle, but a three-point shot from Kelly paired with layups from Franky propelled the Bears ahead. TMU saw layups from Smith, Cory Seitz and Kafunba Toure to maintain their lead, but the Knights responded with shots of their own to keep the score close. A clutch layup from Toure and jump shot from Micah McAllister sparked the Bears momentum when a layup from Seitz and free throws from Kelly helped break away from the Knights. Consecutive shots behind the three-point arc from RJ Bryant and Kelly, followed by a dunk from Franky put the game out of reach as TMU secured an 89-77 victory over the Knights.

LEADERS
Most notable, Franky recorded a double-double with 24 points, going 11-12 in the paint with 10 rebounds. Kelly followed with 16 points, going 3-5 behind the three-point arc and 3-4 at the free-throw line. Smith tallied 13 points, going 5-10 in the paint and 2-4 at the free-throw line. Arias-Ortega contributed eight points, going 4-10 in the paint with eight rebounds. 

UP NEXT
The Bears hit the road to Bluefield, Virginia on Saturday, February 11 to face AAC member Bluefield University. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.