WINTER PARK, Fla. - The Union University men's basketball team officially opened the 2025-26 season with a 96-93 overtime win over Lynn University.

The game was a part of the South Region Crossover Classic hosted by Rollins College. 

Union will play the host Rollins November 16 at 4 p.m.

The teams played it close the entire way. At halftime the score was 41-41 with both teams adding 45 points in the second half to head to overtime tied at 86-86. 

Lynn opened the game with seven straight points, but Union got it going. With 12:54 left in the half, a 3-pointer from jack Shackelford gave Union its first lead at 15-13. The teams went back-and-forth with the Bulldogs leading by as many as four. With 1:11 left in the half, Lynn led 39-33. Union closed out the half with a 8-2 run highlighted by a three pointer from Sam Youngblood, a tip-in by Shackelford, and a 3-pointer in the final seconds by Devaki Garr. 

In the second half it was Union's turn for the hot start. Keeping the momentum from the first half, Union pushed out to a six point lead, 49-43. The run spanning the end of the first half and start to the second half had Union outscoring Lynn 16-4. Lynn rallied and took the lead and Union again led by six later in the half, matching its largest lead. Lynn again rallied and the teams went back and forth the rest of the way. 

Union trailed by three points, 86-83 with 48 seconds left. Then, an old fashioned three-point-play by Union's Terrence Ringo, Jr. with 30 seconds left tied the game. Lynn missed a jumper on its last possession sending the game to overtime. 

In overtime, the teams swapped the lead on their first two possessions. Then with 2:45 left in overtime, Youngblood hit a 3-pointer to give Union the lead for good. Union was up three with less than a minute to play. Following a layup from Lynn, Union's Will Lovings-Watts sank two free throws with 12 seconds left. That 96-93 score proved to be the final as Lynn failed to score on its final possession. 

Seven players scored in the game for Union, with six of them in double figures. Mason McBride led with 18 points, while Jamiir Allen scored 17 points with three 3-pointers. Youngblood, Shackelford, and Ringo, Jr. added 14 each with Youngblood hitting three 3-pointers. Garr added nine points, all coming his three 3-pointers. Lovings-Watts scored 10 points and led with seven rebounds. Allen led with seven assists. 

The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the field, 39 percent (10-26) from 3-point range, and 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line. 

-UNION-