HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Union University women's basketball team opened NCAA South Regional play in dominant fashion Friday afternoon, defeating Florida Southern 84–69 at SportsMED Arena in Spragins Hall. The victory also marked the 800th career win for head coach
Mark Campbell, adding another milestone to his Hall of Fame career.
This would be the first time the Lady Bulldogs have met the Mocs, though being in the same tournament for years. Going into the match, Union was 10-3 overall in first-round games.
The first half was kick-started with a three-pointer from
Abigail Bryan, which was soon followed up with another three from
Maddie Gray. Bryan shot 43 percent from the arc this afternoon. Once the Lady Bulldogs took the lead, they would not give it up for the remainder of the match. The half ended with a last-second jumper from
Nora Saffell, leaving the score at 41-26 going into halftime.
The Bulldogs' outside shooting proved to be a key factor as Union connected on 15 three-pointers in the contest, shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Leading the way was
Olivia Lee, who delivered a standout performance with 33 points, knocking down three triples and going 8-for-9 at the free-throw line. Lee scored throughout the game and helped Union maintain its lead whenever Florida Southern threatened to close the gap.
Union also received a major boost from the bench, highlighted by Courtney Zensen's 20 points, including six three-pointers that helped stretch the Bulldogs' lead during key stretches of the game.
Morgan Escobedo contributed 10 points and six assists, directing the Union offense, while Abigail Bryan added nine points with three made three-pointers.
The Lady Bulldogs led by double digits for most of the contest and closed the game strong, scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter to secure the regional opening victory.
With the win, Union advances to the next round of the NCAA South Regional where they will face off against 3 seed Eckerd tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Find coverage at uuathletics.com/coverage.
To keep up with the squad in the post season, follow @UUBasketball on Instagram and Twitter.
-UNION-
