CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Union University men's basketball team posted a 79-70 win at Delta State University Thursday night. Union improved to 15-5 on the season and 9-5 in the Gulf South Conference. Delta State dropped to 11-9 overall and 8-6 in league play.
 
The win for Union keeps the Bulldogs in the mix among the leaders in the conference. Shorter (Ga.) and West Georgia are tied for first with 10-4 league records, while Union, Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama sit just one game back with 9-5 records. Only eight games remain in the regular season. The top eight teams will make the GSC Tournament in March, with the top four seeds earning the right to host a first round game.
 
Union scored first on a layup from Jordan Montgomery, but after 10 minutes of play, found themselves down by seven points, 23-16.
 
Over the next four minutes, Union rolled off a 13-0 run to go from down seven to up six, 29-23, with 6:21 left in the half. Delta State stayed close and took two brief leads of one point late in the first half. But it was Union holding the advantage at the break, 35-34.
 
In the second half, Union took control early and did not trail for the remainder of the game. After a quick jumper from Corieon Pearson to start the second half, Union was off to the races. Over the first four minutes of the half, Union posted a 14-1 run to go up by 14 points, 49-35 with 16:11 left. Union led by as many as 15 points in the game before coming away with the 79-70 win.
 
Union was led by Pearson with a game-high 32 points. Marterrace Brock added 21 points, while Montgomery grabbed 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 44 percent from the field, including 54 percent in the second half. Union sank 32 percent (7-22) from long range and 77 percent (24-31) from the free throw line.
 
Delta State was led by Devin Schmidt with 24 points. Alister Chisholm added 15 points, while PJ Davis recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Statesmen shot 48 percent form the field, 36 percent (4-11) from 3-point range and 62 percent (18-29) from the free throw line.
 
Up next for Union will be the second of four straight road games as Union plays at Mississippi College Saturday at 4 p.m. Listen on 93.1 FM or online at www.uuathletics.com/live.
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