MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Union University men's basketball claimed a 74-70 road win at Christian Brothers in an extremely competitive affair that featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties on Friday night.
CBU held its final lead of the evening with just under two minutes to play before
Judson Bjornstad tied the game at 70 with a free throw. From there, a bucket by
Devaki Garr and two
Kaleim Taylor free throws sealed the win, while CBU drew a blank with two misses and two turnovers on its last four possessions.
Union moves to 7-2 (3-0 GSC) with the victory, while the Buccaneers are now 4-4 and winless in the conference.
The Bulldogs are one of three teams unbeaten in conference play and also one of three with seven or more wins overall. Alabama-Huntsville sits at 8-1 (3-0), while Montevallo is 7-2 (3-0).
Union's 3-0 start to the conference slate is the school's first since the 2021-22 season and its third (2015-16) since joining the GSC in 2012.
Five Bulldogs scored in double-figures for the first time this season–Taylor tied his season-high with 18, Bjornstad dropped a career-high 14,
Parker Applegate and Garr had 11 and
CJ Jackson chipped in 10.
Taylor led Union's scorers at halftime with 14 points, and the Bulldogs held a 39-34 advantage.
Union made just four three-pointers on the night, the fewest in a game since sinking just two of 18 at Delta State on November 11, 2023. From the floor, Union shot at a 44.1% clip, a bit short of CBU's 49.1% rate. Behind the arc, Union shot 30.8% to CBU's 33.3%.
Union turned over the ball only eight times–a season-low–and CBU made just four steals.
Through nine games, three Bulldogs average in double figures: Jackson (17.0), Taylor (12.0) and Applegate (11.7). Applegate leads the rebound column with 8.6 a game;
Jeremiah Littlepage has 6.0.
Jackson leads the team with eight double-figure scoring nights. Taylor has seven nights of 10+ and six with 13.
Freshman Bjornstad has five games with five or more rebounds, including Friday's six. With two stuffs against the Bucs, he now has a multi-block outing.
Jack Shackelford notched four assists, a career-high.
Garr, with five rebounds, posted a season-high.
Union looks ahead to a trip to the Yellowhammer state to play at Auburn-Montgomery (4-3, 1-1) and Montevallo. Games are scheduled to tip at AUM on Thursday (7:30 p.m.) and Montevallo on Saturday (4:00 p.m.).
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