(KINGSPORT, Tenn.) – On Thursday, the No. 9 Truett McConnell University men’s basketball team traveled to Kingsport, Tenn. for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bears faced No. 8 Milligan College, where they extended their stay after shutting down the Buffaloes with a score of 81-69. TMU improved to a record of 13-16, while moving on to the semi-finals.

PLAY BY PLAY
In the first half, TMU was first on the board with back-to-back layups from Enocka Franky. Both teams were even in play until another layup from Franky propelled the Bears forward. The Buffaloes stole the lead with shots of their own to create a large deficit. Shots from Kafunba Toure, Franky and Raul Arias-Ortega worked to cut the margin, but the Buffaloes pushed forward. Free throws from Franky and CJ Brown cut the deficit to two, but a tip-in from EJ Smith evened the playing field. A final shot from Brent Kelly sent the Bears into the half with a 35-34 lead.
 
In the second half, both teams remained even in play until consecutive layups from Toure and Arias-Ortega pushed TMU forward. The Buffaloes were resilient to recapture the lead, but a pivotal shot behind the three-point arc from Kelly sent the Bears ahead.  Another three-point shot from Cooper Rubio combined with a three-point shot from Kelly created a large margin. A layup from Smith and a shot in the paint from Arias-Ortega continued to add to TMU’s lead. Free throws from Toure, Arias-Ortega and Smith secured the Bears’ 81-69 victory to move TMU into the semi-finals.
 
LEADERS
Toure led the way with 17 points, going 5-8 in the paint and 7-9 at the free-throw line while Arias-Ortega recorded 15 points, going 6-6 at the free-throw line with five rebounds. Franky followed with 14 points, going 5-10 in the paint with nine rebounds and Smith tallied 13 points, going 3-4 at the free-throw line with nine rebounds. Kelly contributed 12 points, going 2-4 behind the three-point arc and 2-2 at the free-throw line.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears remain in Kingsport, Tenn. for the semi-final round of the AAC tournament on Thursday, February 23 against No. 1 Union College. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.