Jonathan French
Assistant Director of Communications and Media
jfrench@transy.edu

CHICAGO, IL - The Transylvania Pioneers fall to the University of Chicago in their final game of the UChicago Midway Classic. The Pioneers lost to the Maroons 77-65 in a hard fought game. 

Transy started the game off creating opportunities offensively but were not able to connect. Jaxon Smith made Transylvania's first three pointer, sparking the offense. Transylvania brought the deficit down to 3 points 7 minutes into the half, with a layup by Ben Godby. The following few minutes were back and forth with both teams fighting for momentum. Transylvania went into halftime down 19. 

Out of the break the Pioneers went on a 6-0 run by Ian Reesor. The momentum shifted and the Pioneers continued fighting back showing a huge amount of determination.  Trio of three pointers and a huge layup from Jaxon Smith and Ian Reesor brought the Maroons lead down to 7. With 2 minutes to go Dakota Capps drew a foul and made the layup to bring the lead down to just four points. Transy displayed a tremendous amount of grit and effort in the closing minutes of the game but fell just short of victory. 

Brian Lane, Head Coach, thinks the tournament was a great opportunity to test the team's younger players against tough opponents and thinks the team will be able to find several things to improve on. Lane stated "We got off to a slow start and really did not find a good offensive rhythm until the second half. Our defensive intensity on their outstanding 3pt shooters was not very good. They outscored us by 18 points from three in the first half and that was a big factor in our loss. We showed a lot of fight in the second half climbing all the way back within four points.". 

Stat Leaders: 

• Colby Napier led the Pioneers with 16 points and 1 rebound, going 100% from the free throw line. 
• Ian Reesor gave the team a huge lift off of the bench to fuel the second half run. Reesor finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. 
• Hunter Penn led the Pioneers with 6 rebounds, and continued to be a presence inside the paint. 

Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at www.transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.