Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Union

ATHENS, Tenn.- The men's basketball team took the court in James L. Robb Gymnasium on Wednesday. The team hosted the Union College Bulldogs in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest.

Early in the game, the Bulldogs could not miss as they made their first three shots on their way to a 9-3 lead. Ty Hurst, Darius Rozier, and Kobe Pride all scored during the stretch to give the Bulldogs the lead, and the team took a double-digit advantage after scores by Amauri Young, Rozier, and Pride made the score 16-5. Peyton West got in on the scoring action with a three-pointer, and soon the lead moved to 23-8 after four points from Young. Nichaune Jones and Keshawn McPherson added points for TWU over the next couple of minutes. By the midway point of the first half, Union had cut the double-digit lead down to single digits, and with 4:13 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs' lead stood at four points with the score being 33-29. Points from Hurst, McPherson, and Pride helped Tennessee Wesleyan move their lead back out to double-digits, but the opponents cut the lead down before half, sending the Bulldogs into the break with a 39-35 advantage. 

The opponents opened the second half with the first basket of the game before free throws from Pride and a layup by Hurst made the score 43-37. TWU responded again after seeing their lead cut to two points, this time with points from Pride and Young moving the score to 47-41. Unfortunately, the lead changed with 14:08 remaining in the game. The score remained close over the next several minutes with a four-point play by West keeping the team within one point. Jones carried the momentum, giving the team a 63-62 lead at the halfway point of the second half. As the game remained close, Emmanuel Ndambi and a three-pointer by Jones put the game in two different ties. The final tie of the game was broken by Union, who scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a 79-70 lead. The opponents looked like they were going to win by a large margin but the home Bulldogs battled back, pulling within three points of the Union lead with 26 seconds left. The three points needed to extend the game did not come for Tennessee Wesleyan though, and the team fell in a heartbreaker 90-89.

Pride led the offense with 18 points while Young and Hurst both added 17 points. Peyton West had 11 points. Pride also led on the boards with six rebounds.

The schedule keeps the Bulldogs (9-13, 9-12 AAC) on their home court for their next game. The team hosts Bluefield University in an AAC contest on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.