Pioneers Drop Road Contest at Truett McConnell

Truett McConnell scored the first seven points of the game on its way to an 86-67 win over the Spartanburg Methodist College men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.

SMC (6-19, 4-13 AAC) was led by a 19-point effort from Kelton Teasley, who was joined in double figures by Zenai Davis and Calvin Brown with 11 points apiece.

TMU (12-11, 9-8 AAC) was powered by a double-double from Omari Joseph, who posted a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. Jadon Yeh also reached double figures with 15 points.

After falling behind 7-0 early, the Pioneers trimmed the deficit to one, 7-6, when Musa Muritihi knocked down a 3-pointer with 17:24 remaining in the first half. SMC again made it a one-point game, 15-14, on a Brown 3-pointer with 14:15 left in the opening 20 minutes. Later in the half, the Pioneers pulled within two on two separate occasions, but each time the host Bears responded.

In the second half, Teasley scored 12 of his 19 points, while Davis accounted for all 11 of his points. TMU shot 47.1 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes to fend off any comeback attempt by the Pioneers.

SMC will return to the road Monday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against No. 10 UPIKE, which enters the contest on a five-game winning streak.