Men's Basketball Outlast Lions

ATHENS, Tenn.- The men's basketball team won their fifth game in a row on Saturday, and kept their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) record unblemished. The team picked up a 76-71 win against the Bryan College Lions in their first home game of the season. 

Reshaun Hampton gave the team a 3-2 lead with a three-point basket and a basket by Cory Marshall moved the score to 6-5. Charles Neverdon started a 12-0 run with a three-point jumper, tying the game 8-8. Sohn McGee gave the team a 10-8 lead while Hampton's three-pointer made the score 13-8. McGee and Stratton Lovvorn scored to make the lead 17-8 at the end of the 12-point streak. Neverdon and Ty Runyan kept the three-point action going, moving the team's lead to 23-14 after back-to-back jumpers. With 6:19 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs led 25-14 after Neverdon's layup. A 13-5 run by the Lions cut that lead down to three with 1:13 remaining. Pairs of free throws by Lovvorn and McGee helped TWU lead 34-29 at halftime.

Out of the halftime break, Bryan scored eight of the first ten points to take a 37-36 lead. A dunk by JJ Rueckert gave the Bulldogs back the lead in what would be the final lead change of the game. Runyan's layup and Neverdon's three-point basket made it seven straight points for Tennessee Wesleyan and gave them a 43-37 lead. The Bulldogs kept the points coming, outscoring the Lions 15-4 after falling behind by one and taking a 51-41 lead on Neverdon's three-pointer. Zhaelin Callahan's layup a few moments later moved the score to 53-46. Rueckert hit a jump shot near the midway point of the second half to move the lead to 57-50. Three-point baskets by Lovvorn and Hampton helped the team move their lead back out to double digits with 7:58 remaining as the score read 66-56. Bryan cut the lead in half though a minute later before a three-pointer by Lovvorn pushed the team ahead by eight points, 69-61. Bryan was able to get the lead down to three points with 31 seconds remaining but free throws by Hampton and McGee along with defensive stops were enough to keep the Lions at bay in the five-point win.

Hampton led all scorers with 18 points to go along with 16 points from Neverdon, 14 points from Lovvorn and 10 points from McGee.

The Bulldogs (5-2, 4-0 AAC) remain on their home floor for their next conference game against Johnson University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.