Men's Basketball Comeback Attempt Falls Short Against Montreat
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Montreat (NC) (5-4, 2-2) | 44 | 40 | 84 |
|
Tennessee Wesleyan (5-4, 4-2) | 41 | 33 | 74 |
ATHENS, Tenn.- The men's basketball team was looking to get back in the win column on Wednesday against the Montreat College Cavaliers. Unfortunately, a comeback near the end of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game fell short as the opponents won the game 84-74.
After a Reshaun Hampton layup got the Bulldogs on the board, back-to-back three-pointers by Charles Neverdon and Stratton Lovvorn gave the team a 8-6 lead. Montreat took over the lead as a JJ Rueckert dunk made the score 11-10 five minutes into the game. The close game between the two teams continued as Cory Marshall's jump shot moved the score to 23-19. As the game hit the ten-minute mark, Hampton hit a three-pointer and layup to cut the Montreat lead down to two points, a 28-26 score. Both teams contiuned to add points with a pair of free throws by Ty Runyan making the score 37-34. The first half ended with the Bulldogs trailing 44-41 with the team getting their point total after a pair of free throws by Zhaelin Callahan.
Out of the break, Montreat scored seven of the first eight points to move their lead to 51-42. Tennessee Wesleyan continued to fight back and had cut the opponents' lead down to three points on a Rueckert layup with 8:54 remaining in the game, with the score reading 63-60. Not able to pull closer in this instance, with 4:55 left, back-to-back Callahan layups pulled the Bulldogs within one point of the Montreat lead. The score went from 68-67 after Callahan's second layup to 77-67 after nine straight points by the Cavaliers. Runyan broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer while layups by Callahan and Sohn McGee kept the team within five points of the score with 1:31 left. The team was not able to pull closer though as Montreat ended the game with five straight points after McGee's layup made the score 79-74.
Hampton led the offense with 22 points.
Up next for the Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2 AAC) is a home non-conference game against Georgia Gwinnett College on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.