Men’s basketball loses heartbreaker against TWU

ATHENS, Tenn. (Feb. 5, 2022) – After a poor shooting first half that saw the Point University men's basketball team only score 18 points, the Skyhawks bounced back with 42 points in the second half, but their efforts came up short as they fell 63-60 to Tennessee Wesleyan Saturday afternoon on the road.

The Bulldogs opened Saturday's Appalachian Athletic Conference contest with a 22-8 lead and extended their lead out by 22 points before halftime. In the second half, Point began to chip away at the Bulldogs' lead, with Jake Smith fueling the Skyhawks comeback with a layup followed by an old-fashioned 3-pointer to bring Point within 10 (45-35). Smith then brought the score back within single digits with a layup.

With less than nine minutes remaining, Corey Bowen connected for a jump shot in the paint, followed by a 3-pointer to cut Tennessee Wesleyan's lead down to four (52-48). The Skyhawks followed with a timeout, and out of the break, Selman connected for an old-fashioned 3-pointer to bring Point within one. A trip to the free throw line for Javier Turner would give Point its first lead since the start of the game, 54-52. The Bulldogs would answer with back-to-back layups to regain the lead, but Freeman would answer to tie the score at 56. Bowen followed with a dunk to extend the Skyhawks' lead out by two before TWU's Jonathan Webb connected for a triple to help take a 59-58 lead. With 1:17 remaining, Bowen connected for a layup to put Point ahead once again, but the Bulldogs would connect for a layup of their own 16 seconds later to go ahead once again, and Tennessee Wesleyan would hold the lead for the remainder of the game.

Bowen led Point with 15 points and nine rebounds, going 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. Smith followed with 13 points and eight rebounds, also going 6-for-10. Freeman scored 11 points and seven rebounds, and Turner recorded seven points and rebounds each. Turner also led the team with five blocks.

With Saturday's loss, Point falls to 12-13 (8-11 AAC) and the Bulldogs advance to 15-8 (12-7).

The Skyhawks will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 8, traveling to Bryan College for a 7:30 p.m. matchup.