No. 19 Union women dominate UAH for fifth straight win
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Union University women’s basketball team defeated the University of Alabama in Huntsville 85-47 Monday afternoon. Union, ranked No. 19 in the WBCA Poll, improved to 10-2 overall and 8-2 in the Gulf South Conference. Alabama Huntsville dropped to 3-11 on the season and 3-7 in league play.
The win was the fifth straight for the Lady Bulldogs. It also moved head coach Mark Campbell to 696 career wins.
All 12 players that played in the game for Union scored, including three in double figures. Naomi Van Nes and Jordan Little led the way with 13 points each, while Bethany Dillard added 12. Dillard was 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Keisharna Lucas scored six points but added team highs with six rebounds and seven assists.
Union shot 49 percent from the field, 45 percent (13-29) from 3-point range, and 80 percent (8-10) from the free throw line.
Union opened the game with an 11-0 run capped by one of Dillard’s 3-pointers. Union never looked back, leading the entire game. Union led 45-24 at the half and had a 36-point lead at the end of three quarters. Union’s largest lead was 41 points (74-33) with 6:59 left in the game.
UAH was led by Olivia Howard and Haelim Adle with nine points each. The Chargers shot 37 percent from the field, 24 percent (4-17) from long range, and 64 percent (9-14) from the foul line.
Union forced 23 turnovers, scoring 24 points off turnovers. Union outrebounded UAH 40-26, including 14-6 on the offensive glass.
Up next for Union will be a pair of home games, January 5 versus Shorter and January 9 versus Lee.
Union men drop heartbreaker at No. 20 UAH, 76-74
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Union University men’s basketball team lost 76-74 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville Monday afternoon. Union dropped to 8-6 overall and 7-3 in the Gulf South Conference. Alabama Huntsville improved to 13-3 overall and 8-2 in league play.
The game featured two of the five teams in a tie for first place in the GSC standings with 7-2 league records entering play. This was also a rematch of last season’s GSC Tournament Title game, Union’s first ever appearance in the championship game, where UAH got the win.
Leading by four at the break, 38-34, UAH opened the second half with a 14-3 run to hold its largest lead of the night at 15 points, 52-37. Union still trailed by 13 points with 11:53 left to play, before the rally began. Union cut the deficit to three points with 7:32 left to play11-1 run. UAH quickly pushed the lead back to eight points, but Union did not go away.
Union cut the UAH lead to just two points, 75-73, following a pair of free throws from Tylandruis Parks. UAH then hit 1-of-2 free throws to lead by three points with six seconds left. Union got the ball and before the Bulldogs could get a shot off, UAH fouled Justin Debuck to put him on the free throw line for two shots, instead of a shot to tie the game. Debuck made the first and missed the second on purpose. He got his own rebound with less than a second left, but his put-back attempt rolled off the rim.
UAH opened the game with a 6-0 run, but Union rallied back to lead 7-6. That proved to be Union’s only lead of the night. UAH held no more than an eight point lead in the first half, with the lead hovering between 3-to-5 points most of the time. UAH led 38-34 at the break.
Union was led by Jalen Johnson with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from 3-point range. Tylandrius Parks, the reigning GSC and NCAA D2 National Player of the Week added 18 points and eight rebounds. Boe Nguidjol led with 10 rebounds. Union shot 41 percent from the field, 41 percent (15-37) from long range, and 68 percent (15-22) from the foul line.
Alabama Huntsville was led by CJ Williamson with 18 points, Luke Burnett added 16 points, and Tanner Shulman scored 11 points. The Chargers shot 45 percent from the field, 39 percent (9-23) from long range, and 74 percent (17-23) from the free throw line.
Union returns home this coming for GSC meetings with Shorter Thursday and Lee Saturday.
