No. 15/24 Union women pull away in second half, 60-34 over West Alabama
JACKSON, Tenn. – The Union University women’s basketball team defeated the University of West Alabama 60-34 Saturday afternoon at Fred DeLay Gymnasium/David Blackstock Court.
According to a press release from Steven Aldridge – Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Communication – Union, ranked No. 15 in the WBCA Poll and No. 24 in the D2SIDA Poll, improved to 21-3 overall and 19-3 in the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama dropped to 13-13 on the season and 10-12 in league play.
The win for Union pushed its winning streak to 10 games, its longest of the season.
Shanique Lucas of Union scored the first points of the game on a layup on the opening possession. After West Alabama took a brief lead on a 3-pointer, Union responded with four straight points to take the lead for good. Naomi Van Ness scored the last four points of an 8-0 run for Union and the Lady Bulldogs extended the lead to double figures at 19-7. Union led 19-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Union’s Lauren West opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, sparking earn in the quarter. Union opened the quarter with a 10-3 run to push out to a 29-12 lead with 5:17 left. However, West Alabama stormed back into the game with a 12-0 run over the remainder of the half, cutting the deficit to 29-24 with less than a minute left in the half. Union’s leading scorer, Shanique Lucas missed most of the quarter with foul trouble.
Union ended the UWA run with the first four points of the third quarter, two each from the Lucas sisters, Shanique and Keisharna. Union outscored the Tigers 15-4 in the low-scoring third quarter and extended its lead to the largest to this point, 43-25 during the quarter. Union led 44-28 going into the fourth quarter.
West Alabama kept it interesting, not going way, opening the fourth quarter with a 6-2 to get to within 12 points. Union stopped the run with back-to-back 3-pointers from West and Leah Church. These were the first made 3-pointers for Union since Church hit one at 5:21 left in the second quarter. Union outscored UWA 16-6 in the fourth quarter.
Union’s largest lead of the game was the final, 60-34. Union outscored West Alabama 31-10 in the second half. Union forced 25 turnovers and scored 24 points off turnovers. Union had 17 steals.
Union was led by Shanique Lucas with 12 points. Naomi Van Nes added nine points. All twelve players for Union scored in the game. Union shot 36 percent from the field, 22 percent (5-23) from 3-point range, and 68 percent (13-19) from the free throw line.
West Alabama was led by Logsdon and Dent with nine points each. Dent added 10 rebounds. The Tigers shot 26 percent from the field, 15 percent (2-13) from long range, and 67 percent (4-6) from the foul line.
Up next for Union will be the final regular season games of the year when the Lady Bulldogs travels to Lee and Shorter February 23 and 25. Listen locally on 93.1 FM or online on Union’s coverage page.
Union men upset No. 18/17 West Alabama at home, 73-56
JACKSON, Tenn. – The Union University men’s basketball team posted a 73-56 win over the University of West Alabama Saturday afternoon at Fred DeLay Gymnasium/David Blackstock Court.
According to a press release from Steven Aldridge – Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Communication – Union improved to 14-12 overall and 13-9 in the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama, ranked No. 18 in the NABC Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the D2SIDA Media poll, dropped to 21-5 on the season and 17-5 in league play.
Union had already clinched a spot in the GSC Tournament, but this win helped with a chance at a better seed. It also snapped West Alabama’s eight-game winning streak and dropped the Tigers out of sole possession of first place and into a tie for first in the league with two games remaining. Union
The game started with both teams going back and forth. West Alabama’s largest lead was two points several times early. UWA led for the final time at 14-12 with 9:12 left in the first half after a pair of free throws. Union posted a 9-0 run with three-pointers from Layne Sarver and Ivan Prug, and a 3-point play from Boe Nguidjol to lead 21-15. Union extended its lead to double figures, 27-15 when Nguidjol capped a 6-0 run with a dunk. Union’s 34-21 halftime lead was its largest lead of the half. Union’s defense held West Alabama to just five field goals in the first half.
Union scored first on a Justin Debuck bucket to open the second half. West Alabama got as close as seven points, 45-38, following a 3-pointer with 11:57 left in the game. Union’s Parks answered with a 3-point play to get the lead back to double figures. Union then pushed its lead into the 20s and led by as many as 22 points, 73-51, in the game.
Union outrebounded West Alabama 35-31. West Alabama made 17 field goals and 19 free throws.
Union was led by Parks with 22 points and seven rebounds. Boe Nguidjol added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Debuck added 10 points. Union shot 54 percent from the field, 33 percent (5-15) from 3-point range, and 76 percent (16-21) from the free throw line.
West Alabama was led by Williams with 22 points and Allen with 14 points. The Tigers shot 32 percent from the field, 15 percent (3-20) from long range, and 83 percent (19-23) from the free throw line.
Up next for Union is a road trip to Lee and Shorter February 23 and 25 to close out the regular season. Listen locally on 93.1 FM or online from Union’s coverage page.
