CLEVELAND, Ga. (January 6, 2024) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University men's basketball team hosted Johnson University for an Appalachian Athletic Conference match-up, where the Bears fell in a second half battle with the Royals, 78-68. TMU falls to an overall record of 7-8, 5-6 AAC, while JU rises to a record of 8-5, 7-3 AAC.
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The first half started off slow for the Bears as the Royals tallied five points to take an early lead. CJ Brown found a good layup to finally put TMU on the board in the 16^th minute of regulation. The Bears continued to work from behind as the visiting team fought to increase the margin by 21 points, but TMU did not lose heart as a three-pointer by Raul Arias-Ortega, paired with a free throw by KJ Riley and a layup by Cory Seitz, kept the Bears in the game. The remainder of the half saw the Bears eager to shorten the gap, with a good three pointer by Seitz and four good free throws by Akil Covington, proving capable of decreasing the Royals lead to 17 points as both teams entered the half with a score of 25-42.
 
In the second half, the Royals once again were up first, with EJ Smith quickly responding with two good free throws. Eager to increase their lead, JU forced TMU to work from behind, increasing the margin to 21 points once again. The Bears continued to battle the visiting team, working together to change the outcome of the game as two good three pointers by Riley, paired with free throws by Smith and Cooper Rubio, successfully decreased the gap to seven points. A last chance jump shot by Riley and two free throws by Covington, attempted to give TMU a chance at obtaining the win, but was ultimately not enough to overcome the Royals first half performance, falling to a final score of 78-68.
 
LEADERS
Riley led the way for the Bears with 17 points and seven rebounds. Seitz followed with 11 points and five rebounds going 2-2 at the free throw line, while Brown tallied nine points and six rebounds. Covington was featured contributing eight points, while going 6-6 in free throws. Arias-Ortega followed closely behind, recording seven points, while Smith had six points. 
 
UP NEXT
TMU will be back in action on the road, Wednesday, January 10, as they travel to face Reinhardt University for an AAC match-up. Tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.