Men's Basketball Runs Away From Bears

CLEVELAND, Ga.- The men's basketball team played their sixth consecutive away game on Wednesday, winning their fourth game in a row against the Truett McConnell University Bears. A 25-4 run helped the Bulldogs win the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game 81-58.

After a Charles Neverdon three-point basket, Truett McConnell scored seven straight points. Reshaun Hampton scored the next 13 points for Tennessee Wesleyan, giving the team a 16-15 lead. Sohn McGee scored four consecutive points and a second three-pointer from Neverdon gave the Bulldogs a 23-18 lead through the midway point of the first half. Hampton broke a 27-27 tie with back-to-back three-point jumpers and gave the team a 35-27 lead on a layup with 3:52 remaining until halftime. Truett McConnell stole the momentum as they scored 10 straight points to pull ahead 37-35 with 1:47 remaining until the break. Hampton and Ty Runyan put points on the board to give the team a 40-37 lead at halftime. Hampton had 21 points in the first half. 

TWU opened the second half with three three-pointers, one each by Hampton, Neverdon, and Runyan, to make the score 49-42. Armando Cuardado put back an offensive rebound to move the score to 51-44 before a six-point run by Truett McConnell cut the lead to one point. Hampton hit a three-point jumper to give the team a multi-goal lead on the next possession. With 10:40 left and after a Truett McConnell basket that only gave the Bulldogs a two-point advantage with the score 56-54, Tennessee Wesleyan flipped the switch that started the 25-4 run. Cuardado and Stratton Lovvorn combined to score seven straight points, moving the lead to 61-54. The team took their first double-digit lead on McGee's three-point jump shot, a score of 66-55 while Runyan's three-point play moved the team to the 70-point mark. Tarik Islamovic put the explanation point on the win with a three-pointer to give the team the runaway win.

Hampton finished the game with a career-high 38 points on 16-25 shooting.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 3-0 AAC) will play at home for the first time this season on Saturday against rival Bryan College at 4:00 p.m.