JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University women's basketball team posted a 95-74 win over the University of Montevallo Thursday night at Fred DeLay Gymnasium, David Blackstock Court. Union, ranked No. 6 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll and No. 5 in the D2SIDA Media Poll, improved to 24-1 overall and 16-1 in the Gulf South Conference. Montevallo dropped to 11-13 on the season and 7-9 in league play.
Union continued its run of five straight games with at least 80 points scored, and have hit 90-plus points in three of the last four games. The Lady Bulldogs are averaging 88 points per game in its last five games.
The game started with back-and-forth play as the game was tied five times early at two, four, six, eight, and 10-10. Union took the lead for good, 14-13, with a layup from
Morgan Martin with 2:49 left in the quarter. Union pushed out to its largest lead of the quarter, 23-15, thanks to an 11-2 run. Union led 25-18 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Montevallo scored the first five points to cut the deficit to two points, 25-23. Union then got a 3-pointer from
Tiffany Rechis to keep the Lady Bulldogs in control. The Falcons stayed close, cutting the lead down to just one point, 34-33, with 5:23 left in the half. Union's Martin answered with a layup and then three pointers form Rechis and
Kennedy Childers helped push Union out to a 43-35 lead. Union went into the locker room with its largest lead of the game thus far, 46-37.
Rechis continued the hot hand with a 3-pointer to open the second half and give Union a double-digit lead for the first time in the game. Union's shooting heated up as
Emily Beard hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Union led by 21 points, 63-42 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Union continued to add to the lead, going up by as many as 30 points, 78-48, following Beard's sixth 3-pointer of the game. Union held that 78-48 lead at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Montevallo opened the quarter with a 14-0 run to cut Union's lead down to 78-62 with 7:12 left in the game. Union's
Jada Smith stopped the run, hitting a layup while being fouled, then getting her own offensive rebound on the missed free throw and scoring another basket. Union was back up by 20, 82-62. Union extended its lead back to 26 points, 90-64. The Lady Bulldogs cruised to the 95-74 final.
Montevallo won the rebound battle 36-29, while Union won the turnover battle, committing just 12 to 18 from the Falcons.
Union was led by Martin with 26 points and seven rebounds. Beard added 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Jada Smith scored 18 points and was 8-of-10 from the field. Childers added 10 points. For the third straight game,
Jada Perkins hit double figures in assists as she dished out 10 in the game. Union shot 56 percent from the field, 44 percent (10-23) from 3-point range, and 77 percent (17-22) from the foul line.
Montevallo was led by Savannah Lee with 22 points. Rice and Smith each added 10 points. The Falcons shot 38 percent from the field, 18 percent (3-17) from long range, and 82 percent (23-28) from the free throw line.
Up next for Union will be a home game, Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. versus West Alabama.
-UNION-
