JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University men's basketball defeated the University of West Georgia Thursday night at Fred DeLay Gymnasium. Union improved to 13-8 overall and 8-5 in the Gulf South Conference. West Georgia dropped to 12-8 overall and 7-5 overall. 

West Georgia scored the first five points of the game, but Union responded with a 12-2 run to take a 12-7 lead. Freshman guard Peyton Stovall scored the first eight points of the game for Union in that run, including a pair of 3-pointers. Union slowly began to add to the lead. With Union leading 27-21 at the 4:21 mark, the Bulldogs posted a 15-3 run to take a 41-24 lead with 1:39 left in the half. Terrandus Smith capped the run with a 3-pointer while Stovall added his third 3-pointer of the half during the run. West Georgia hit a late 3-pointer to cut its halftime deficit to 41-27. 

Union shot 43 percent from the field and 41 percent (7-17) from 3-point range and committed just three turnovers. Stovall and Smith both hit double figures in the first half with 14 and 10 points respectively. 

West Georgia started the second half cutting Union's lead down to nine points, 41-32, following an 8-0 run that started with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half. But that was as close as the Wolves got. Smith hit a 3-pointer to start a huge second half for the junior from Jackson South Side. Smith hit 3-pointers on four straight possessions as Union exploded with a 20-7 run to push the lead to 61-39 with 13:47 left to play. Union's Smith scored 27 of his career-high 37 points in the second half. 

Union led by as many as 30 points, 84-54, following an offensive rebound/dunk by Tylandrius Parks. West Georgia cut the Union lead to 18 points in the final minutes, including three different bank-shot 3-pointers. Union coasted down the stretch to the 99-79 win. 

Union was led by Smith's 37 points, including 6-of-13 shooting from long range. He scored 31 points versus West Georgia just a week ago in Carrollton, Georgia. Stovall finished with 19 points, including 14 points in the first half, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Stovall also led with seven rebounds and seven assists. Tevin Florent scored 15 points and Samory Gueye added 12 points. Union played just seven players in the game, with all seven players scoring. Union shot 52 percent from the field, 39 percent (13-33) from 3-point range, and 71 percent (20-28) from the free throw line. 

Union outrebounded West Georgia 35-29 and committed just five turnovers in the game, only two in the second half. Union did not commit its 4th and 5th turnovers of the until back-to-back turnovers with three minutes left to play. The five turnovers for Union was the fewest in a game since 2014-15 season when Union committed four turnovers versus Truett-McConnell. 

West Georgia was led by M. Smith with 22 points and G. James with 20 points. The Wolves shot 43 percent from the field, 38 percent (13-34) from 3-point range, and 70 percent (14-20) from the free throw line.

Up next for Union will be a home game Saturday, February 2 at 4 p.m. versus Shorter. 

-UNION-