JACKSON, Tenn. - The No. 14 Union University women's basketball team used a 31-point fourth quarter to rally past Mississippi College 84-71 Saturday at Fred DeLay Gymnasium. Union improved to 19-2 on the season and 13-2 in the Gulf South Conference. Mississippi College dropped to 5-13 overall and 3-12 in league play.
Union trailed by nine points, 62-53, early in the fourth quarter before outscoring MC 31-9 in the final nine minutes of the game.
Mississippi College scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, continuing their 10-0 run and extending their lead to 62-53, their largest of the game. Union worked their way back into the game, forcing a Mississippi College timeout after cutting the deficit to 66-63 with 5:39 left in the game.
Following a Choctaw turnover, Union's Kelsey Risner tied the game with a 3-pointer. Union got a stop on defense and regained the lead, 68-66, on a layup from Tiara Caldwell with 4:40 left. After Mississippi College missed a pair of free throws, Union's Chelsea Bodiford drained a 3-pointer putting Union up 73-66 with 3:40 left in the game. Carla Clemmons stopped Union's 14-0 run with a jumper with 3:12 left. However, Jada Smith's ninth point of the fourth quarter kept Union up by eight points with 2:34 left in the game. Union's Jada Perkins and Risner then closed out the game by combining for six straight free throws to seal a hard fought 84-71 win.
Risner opened the game with a long 3-pointer from the top of the key. However, Mississippi College was not fazed, scoring the next seven points to lead 7-3. Union then responded with a 10-0 run to lead 13-7 with 3:04 left in the first quarter. Another run by the Choctaws, this time an 8-0 run put the visitors up 15-13 with 52 seconds left in the quarter. Mississippi College led 17-15 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the teams went back and forth in the first six minutes of play with Union clinging to a 23-22 lead with 4:09 left in the quarter. On Union's next possession that lasted exactly one minute, the Lady Bulldogs grabbed four offensive rebounds. The last offensive rebound was from Risner, who made the put back and completed a 3-point play at the free throw line. Union's lead was now 26-22. After a defensive, stop, Union's Bodiford put the lead at seven points with a 3-pointer, 29-22 with 2:48 left in the half. When it looked like Union was going to pull away, Mississippi College answered the Lady Bulldogs by outscoring Union 10-2 over the final 2:48 of the half. When Clemmons sank two free throws with .3 seconds left on the clock, Mississippi College had regained a 32-31 halftime lead.
This marked the eighth time Union had trailed at the half this season.
Just as she did to open the game, Union's Risner opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give the Lady Bulldog the lead again, 34-32. Union extended their lead to as many as six points, but again Mississippi College fought back. After Kristen Sampson hit her third 3-pointer of the quarter, MC had the lead again, 51-49, with 2:42. Mississippi College shot 75 percent front he field, including 5-of-7 3-pointers in the third quarter to push their lead to 58-53 entering the fourth quarter.
Smith finished with a career high 25 points for Union. Risner finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year. Caldwell added 12 points and Bethany Lytle scored 10 points. Union shot 49 percent from the field, including 68 percent in the second half. Union finished at 29 percent from long range (6-21) after hitting 4-of-7 in the second half. Union hit 78 percent (18-23) of their free throws.
Mississippi College was led by Sampson with 24 points. Roberts scored 13 points while Clemmons and Woods each added 10. The Choctaws shot 47 percent from the field, 46 percent (10-22) from 3-point range and 68 percent (13-19) from the free throw line.
Up next for Union will be the third of four straight home games when West Georgia comes to "The Fred" Thursday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m.
-UNION-
