TCJ Eagles Men's Basketball scored its second-highest point total of the season at Clinton College Wednesday night but came up 8 points short. The high-powered Clinton Golden Bears got a 7-4 run to close out the first half and held off Trinity's 52-point second half to win 95-87.

Trinity had two men top 20 points. Tayden Owens set a new season high with 23, his fifth double-figure game of the season. Owens used 4 three-pointers as part of his 8 shots from the floor and added 3 of 4 from the line to compile his 23. He also assisted 4 TCJ scores and had 5 defensive rebounds to help keep the game tight. 

[Tayden Owens set a new season high with 23 points at Clinton on Wednesday.]

Diego Fernandez tied for the game high with 28 points, also using 4 threes as part of his big night. Fernandez sank 9 shots overall and added 6 free throws while assisting 3 other scores. 

Brandon Hill nothced his third double-digit performance with 10 points on 4 for 8 from the floor and a pair of foul shots while DJ Thompson (16) and Maximus Fuentes (10) had double figures in rebounds to lead all players. 

[DJ Thompson led the court with 16 rebounds on Wednesday.]

The games was back-and-forth for nearly the entire first half, featuring 11 lead changes and 4 ties. The largest first-half leads were 6 for Trinity and 4 for Clinton. A three-pointer from Clinton's Jordan Campbell gave the Golden Bears the final lead of the half at 32-30, and Clinton did not reliquish the lead from the rest of the game. Clinton led at halftime 39-35. 

Each team shot 43 and 44% from the field with 4 threes and 5 free throws in the first half. Clinton made two more baskets than the Eagles for the difference. 

Both teams scored over 50 in an explosive second half. Trinity outshot Clinton 17 to 15 from the field, including 7 three-pointers, to put 52 on the board, but Clinton drained 22 free throws and 4 more threes to help amass 56 second-half points.

Twice Clinton built a double-digit lead only to see the Eagles trim it down to as close as 6. Clinton, though, got 9 free throws in the final minute to keep Trinity from getting any closer. Campbell hit 5 of those himself. 

Derek Rivers hit 3 threes for 9 total points. Thompson finished with 6, Jayden Little scored 5, Fuentes tallied 4, and Shadrack Kakora added 2. 

Cliton got double figures from 5 men. Kipp Richvine tied Fernandez with 28 points (10 free throws) while Campbell scored 19 (3 threes), Isaiah Borders had 17 (3 threes), and Jordan Edmond and Daquan Amlett each scored 10. 

The Eagles will finish the first semester of play with an exhibition game at NCAA Division 1 Florida International University at 12:00 noon on Monday, December 22. After Christmas and New Year's, play resumes on January 8 with a short trip to Florida Gateway College in Lake City on January 8 before South Region play takes center stage at home with rival Toccoa Falls College on January 10.