(BARBOURVILLE, Ky.) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University men’s basketball team traveled to compete in an Appalachian Athletic Conference match-up against Union College, where the Bears suffered a loss to the Bulldogs, 98-75. TMU falls to a record of 10-14, 8-12 AAC, while UC rises to a record of 18-6, 17-3 AAC.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The first half saw UC first to score. Raul Arias-Ortega quickly responded with a layup followed by a layup by CJ Brown. Both teams battled to gain the early lead as a three-point by KJ Riley kept the Bears even with the Bulldogs. A late burst of momentum from the opposing team, found TMU trailing by 10 points, but the Bears did not lose hope as a layup by Smith reduced the gap. A final layup by Jadon Yeh sent the Bears into halftime, trailing by 13 points (30-43).
In the second half, the Bulldogs were once again first to the basket. Brown responded with back-to-back layups eager to catch up with UC. A clutch three-pointer by Arias-Ortega gave the Bears hope, decreasing the gap to eight points. The Bulldogs put up a fight in the second half, creating a wide gap between them and the Bears. Final layups by Riley and Arias-Ortega, attempted to change the outcome of the game, but was ultimately not enough, falling to a final score of 98-73.
LEADERS
Smith led the way with 16 points and six rebounds. Riley followed with 13 points and five rebounds, while Brown tallied 13 points and three rebounds. Arias-Ortega was featured recording 11 points and six rebounds, while Yeh had six points.
UP NEXT
The Bears will be back in action on Wednesday, February 14, as they travel to Johnson University for an AAC match-up. Tip off set for 7:30 p.m.
