The Bryan Men's Basketball Team traveled to Lebanon, TN to take on the Cumberland University Phoenix on Thursday, October 25th. This would be the third year in a row the two teams would meet for non-conference play early in the season. The two teams had split the previous two matchups, with both winning on their homefloor. The Lions jumped out to a huge lead early in the first half and never looked back. They would claim victory, 79-70.

The aforementioned lead was spearheaded by junior guard, Dalen Gales. Gales hit 5 three pointers in the first as well as contributing to other areas in overall team success. The Bryan lead would get as large as 21 points before Cumberland was able to battle back and get the deficit back to 4 at halftime. The Lions entered the half with a 44-40 advantage. Assistant Coach Josh Muncey said of Cumberland's run: "We hit them in the mouth and then they hit us back. Basketball is a game of runs. We were still confident, even with them cutting the lead down."

In the early second half, Bryan's veteran experience began to show through. Graduate Student Ian Johnson canned two quick triples off assists from Senior Kheller Die and Junior Xavier Fisher. Juniors Kole Torres and Trey Morrow came off the bench and provided nice minutes in both halves. Torres ended with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Cumberland's Triston Conger was dominant finishing with a game-high 28 points. Ultimately, his solo efforts weren't enough, as the Lions claimed their first victory of the season. Graduate Assistant Nick Roberts was quoted as saying "This is a really good win. We've got a really good squad this year. There's a lot to be excited about!"

Top Performers

Bryan:

Dalen Gales: 21 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 3PTM

Ian Johnson: 15 Pts, 3 3PTM

Josh Baugher: 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 8 Ast

Kole Torres: 11 Pts, 6 Reb

Cumberland: 

Tristan Conger: 28 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast

Baqi Lecky: 13 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Stl

Demarius Boyd: 12 Pts

Looking Forward: The Lions are at home for the first time on Wednesday, October 30th. They face a visiting Dalton State squad. Come out, support the Lions and see the newly installed lights in Summer's Gymnasium!