Men's Basketball Wins AAC Tournament Opener

KINGSPORT, Tenn.- The men's basketball team played their first game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday. As the seventh seed in the tournament, the Bulldogs faced the 10th-seeded Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs. The team won the game  77-69 to move on to the quarterfinals.

Tennessee Wesleyan got off to a strong start, with Ty Hurst drilling a three-pointer off an assist from Jay Reed to open the scoring. Defensive intensity was high, as Reed secured multiple rebounds to limit second-chance opportunities for Union Commonwealth. Amauri Young added a layup to extend the early lead to 5-2.

Peyton West continued the Bulldogs' offensive momentum by knocking down a three-pointer, pushing the lead to 8-2. Young followed with a jump shot, keeping TWU in control. However, Union Commonwealth responded with a series of baskets to stay within reach.

Despite the Bulldogs' strong shooting early, Union Commonwealth closed the gap and eventually took a 31-30 lead heading into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Tennessee Wesleyan turned up the pressure. Armando Cuardado gave the Bulldogs the lead with a strong layup, followed by a clutch three-pointer from Reed to push the lead to 35-33.

Tennessee Wesleyan's defensive pressure paid off, forcing turnovers that led to transition points. Charles Neverdon came up big, hitting a three-pointer and then scoring a fast-break layup off a steal. His efforts helped extend the lead to 49-43.

As Union Commonwealth attempted a comeback, Hurst and Young continued to deliver key buckets. Runyan Ty knocked down clutch free throws, and the Bulldogs remained composed in the final minutes. Young's layup with just over a minute left sealed the game, giving Wesleyan a 77-69 victory.

Young led the offense with 17 points.

TWU (13-13, 11-9) plays the No. 2 seed Milligan University in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.