JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University men's basketball team defeated Lee University 61-54 Saturday afternoon at Fred DeLay Gymnasium/David Blackstock Court. Union improved to 10-6 overall and 9-3 in the Gulf South Conference. Lee dropped to 10-3 on the season and 9-3 in league play. 

Union head coach David Niven said, "The game is not going to flow very well when you have two teams that play great defense. It came down to half-court production. We got good production on some tough shots from several guys, including Jeremiah (Littlepage) and JT (Dubuck). It was also nice to see the big 3-pointer from freshman Layne Sarver late in the game that served as a back-breaker. I'm proud of how our guys battled offensively and on the boards."

Union opened the game with a successful alley-oop from Jalen Johnson to Jeremiah Littlepage to put Union up 2-0. Union pushed out to a 5-1 lead before Lee rallied to lead 9-8 for the first time in the game. Union went right back on top with back-to-back 3-pointers from Justin Debuck and Tylandrius Parks to lead 14-11. Union held a slim lead for the remainder of the half and extended to a 30-24 halftime advantage, its largest of the first half. 

In the second half, the game remained close and Lee chipped away. Trailing 36-35, Lee posted an 8-0 run including back-to-back 3-pointers to take its largest lead of the night, 41-36, with 12:18 left in the game. Union scored six straight to bounce right back into the lead. Then it was Lee's turn to lead again, 44-42 following another 3-pointer. Union scored seven straight points capped by a three-pointer from Layne Sarver to lead 49-44 with 7:01 left in the game. Lee tied the game one more time at 49-49 with 5:52 left, but Union got a layup and two free throws on back-to-back possessions from Boe Nguidjol to lead 53-49. Union extended its lead to six 57-51, matching its largest lead with just over a minute left. Union was 4-for-4 from the free throws line in the final 26 seconds to push its lead to 10 points, the largest of the night for either team. A Lee 3-pointer at the buzzer set the final at 61-54. 

Union dominated the boards 43-27, while both teams were in single digits in turnovers. Union's defense held Lee to just 34 percent shooting in the game, well below their 50 percent average entering the game. 

Union was led by Nguidjol with 17 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Littlepage and Parks both added 13 points each, while Debuck added 12 points. Union shot 40 percent from the field, 24 percent (5-21) from 3-point range, and 71 percent (10-14) from the foul line. 

Lee was led by Willingham with 15 points and Hendricks with 12. The Flames shot 34 percent from the field, 28 percent (8-29) from long range, and 73 percent (8-11) from the free throw line. 

Up next for Union is a GSC road trip to Delta State January 12 and Mississippi College January 14. Listen locally on 93.1 FM or online at www.uuathletics.com/coverage. 

-UNION-