Men's Basketball Overcomes Montreat

ATHENS, Tenn.- The men's basketball team won their first game of the season on Wednesday. TWU defeated the team they hosted in their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener, the Montreat College Cavaliers.

Kobe Pride and Keshawn McPherson helped the team build a 9-6 advantage through the first five minutes of play. As the points continued to climb, Peyton West and Ty Runyan moved the team's lead to 16-8 with 12:41 remaining in the first half. Montreat kept the game close, pulling within one point of the Bulldogs' lead. Zhaelin Callahan gave TWU some space with his jumper, and Darius Rozier hit a jump shot to make the score 22-17. Each time the Cavaliers pulled closer, the Bulldogs responded, such as a pair of free throws by Jay Reed making the score 29-26 after Montreat had just cut the lead to one point. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Tennessee Wesleyan had taken a 38-32 lead on a Rozier layup.

A lead change occurred deep in the second half. The opponents took a 51-50 advantage with 9:19 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs remained close though as Nichaune Jones free throw made the score 56-54 with 6:08 remaining in the game. Reed put the game into a tie with with 2:27 left in the game. McPherson broke the tie and West knocked down a three-point basket on the next possession to give the team a 65-60 cushion. TWU went on to win the game 67-60 for their first win of the season.

McPherson and West both finished with 12 points in the win.

Up next for the Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 AAC) is a road trip on Saturday to Reinhardt University. The conference game is set for 5:00 p.m.