Box Score

JACKSON, Tenn. – Playing their first game of the new year and first game in more than two weeks the Union University men's basketball team turned up their intensity late in the second half to post a 69-66 victory over Lee University Monday night. The Bulldogs improve to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in the Gulf South Conference. Lee University is now 6-4 on the season and 2-2 league play.
 
Union played with an advantage for most of the first half though it never was more than four points. Miguel Martinez making his first collegiate start put the Bulldogs in front 8-4 with a basket at 16:10. Roy Bullock drained a three point shot with 13:23 remaining to give Union a 15-11 edge. A layup by Jervon Johnson who was fouled on the play and sank the free throw gave the Flames a 27-25 lead with 5:28 to go. Lee managed a narrow four point margin at intermission 32-28. There were only a combined nine total fouls in the half. Jamal Worthington scored 11 of the 21 bench points in the first half for Lee.
 
Corey Billingsley hit a jump shot to cap a 10-2 Flames run with 14:56 to play to grow the Lee lead to 42-32. Halfway through the final half Billingsley added a layup to push the score to 55-42. The 13 point lead was the Flames largest of the game. The Flames went in front 63-52 when Tyquan Roberts jammed home a pass from Stedmon Ford at 5:14.

Union staged a furious rally scoring the next ten points to trail 63-62 with a little over two minutes left. A pair of layups from Corieon Pearson, one by Bullock, a jumper from Pedro Faller, and two free throws from Ashanti Day fueled the comeback. Faller sank two free throws at 1:26 for a 64-64 score. Pearson who throughout the game was receiving encouragement from the bench to be aggressive, grabbed a defensive rebound and drove to the basket for a layup to give Union a 66-64 edge with 22 seconds left in the contest.  It was the Bulldogs first lead since 25-24 at 6:00 of the first half. Pearson who was fouled on the play drained the free throw to increase the score to 67-64. Billingsley hit a jumper to pull within one, 67-66 with 12 seconds on the clock. Bullock nailed two free throws with six seconds to play to make score 69-66. Lee's final 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded was well off the mark.  
 
Three Union players scored in double figures with Day topping all scorers with 17 points. Bullock and Pearson scored 15 each for Union. Day also had a game high 10 rebounds. Union hit 17-of-18 (94.4 percent) free throws. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Flames 32-29.
 
Worthington had 14 points to pace the Flames attack. Tyquan Roberts netted 13 and Billingsley finished with 12. Lee shot 49.1 percent from the field in the game.
 
Next up for Union is GSC foe West Florida at 8:00 p.m. Thursday nine at home. The game against the West Florida is the second of three home games in a row for the Bulldogs.
 
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