CLEVELAND | A mixed result on the court Saturday in Cleveland as the Truett McConnell University Bears split a pair of Homecoming games in front of a packed Bear Cave.
The TMU women’s basketball team defeated Toccoa Falls for the second time this season, 88-33.
With the win, the Bears improve to 2-2 on the season.
After a tightly contested first quarter and a half, the Bears went on a 13-0 run to end the first half, highlighted by six points and three steals in the final 3:29 of the half by Ariana Sanders.
TMU came out firing in the second half, outscoring the Eagles 52-15 in the half to get the win.
Anna Murr led the Bears in the scoring column with 22 points on 6-17 shooting from beyond the arc. Sanders had 19 points, while Janae’ Simpson and Hannah Lentz recorded double-doubles. Simpson tallied 14 points and 10 boards, and Lentz contributed 10 points with 12 rebounds.
The Bears will open AAC play the next time they step on the floor, welcoming Columbia College to the Bear Cave on Wednesday, November 16, at 5:30 p.m.
TMU men drop to 3-3
Toccoa Falls shot 57 percent in the second half as the Eagles defeated the Truett McConnell men’s basketball team, 85-74, Saturday.
The Bears fall back to .500 at 3-3 with the loss.
Both teams battled back and forth in the first half with the Bears leading by as many as seven in the half. A massive dunk by Mario Westbrooks with 10:47 to play in the first half ignited the sold out Bear Cave as the Bears took a four-point lead to the locker room at halftime.
Toccoa Falls came out of the halftime break shooting lights out, hitting five of the first six shots from the field of the half to take a slight lead. The Bears retook the lead and jumped out to a 60-51 advantage, but the Eagles did not go away. TMU went cold and Toccoa Falls took advantage, gaining a 80-69 lead over the next 11 minutes of the game.
Jacob Booke led the Bears with 18 points, while Sandale James earned his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards. Kai Lambert and Westbrooks contributed 10 points each.
The Bears will next travel to NCAA Division I opponent The Citadel for an exhibition game on Tuesday, November 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
