JACKSON, Tenn. – #5 Union defeats the University of West Georgia 96-86 improving their record to 8-0 (3-0 GSC). West Georgia’s record falls to 4-2 (1-2 GSC).
First Period: #5 Union 32, West Georgia 25
West Georgia strikes first on a Jada Powell layup versus the Lady Bulldogs. Macey Lee answered right back in in transition to even the score at 2-2. West Georgia and Union exchange three-pointers before Union goes on an 8-0 run to take a 17-8 lead with six minutes left in the first period. Union continues to put relentless pressure on their opponent’s transition, forcing five turnovers in the first six minutes of action. West Georgia quickly shot their way back into the game with a 6-0 run, cutting the Lady Bulldog lead to two points. Macey Lee continues her fantastic shooting, scoring on a floater to give Union a six-point cushion with three minutes left in the period. The impact freshman Olivia Lee connected on a jumper with 40 seconds left in the first period, extending Union’s lead back to seven points. Both teams made it to the bonus in the action-packed first period. Macey Lee led all scorers in the first period with eight points.
Second Period: #5 Union 53, West Georgia 46
Jada Powell continued to lead West Georgia offensively with a layup, pushing her point total to 10. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to begin the second period, going scoreless for the first 2:32, allowing West Georgia to bring the game back to within a possession. The Lee sister extend the Union lead back to six points before Zuriyah Davis connected from deep to make the score 36-33 with 6:26 left in the second period. Davis hit another big three-pointer to even the score at 36. Brooke Hampel answered with a three of her own, retaking the lead for the Lady Bulldogs. West Georgia took the lead for the first time since the early moments of the game before Brooke Hampel quickly put the Lady Bulldogs back on top with an and-one conversion, Union led 42-40 with four minutes left in the second period. Shylee Morrison extended the Bulldog lead back to four with a layup. Morrison knocks down a three-pointer with 1:15 left on the clock in the second period allowing Union to retake a 47-46 lead. Lauren West ended the half with an exclamation mark, connecting from beyond the arc twice in the final 40 seconds of action, ending the half with a seven-point lead.
Halftime Stats
Brooke Hampel: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Macey Lee: 10 points, 3 rebounds
Olivia Lee: 7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
Shylee Morrison: 6 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals
Third Period: #5 Union 71, West Georgia 71
West Georgia continues to attack the Union defense, started their second half with an Aliyah Washington three-pointer. Olivia Lee gets Union on the board in the second half, followed by a Jada Powell layup to even the game at 55. Courtney Zensen scores her first points of the game to give the Lady Bulldogs the lead, 57-55. West Georgia’s Sophia Singer tie the game back up at 57-57 with a hook shot. Becca Ledford connects from deep to give West Georgia a three-point lead with 6:11 left in the third period. Shanique Lucas drains a three from the corner to retake the lead for the Lady Bulldogs. Courtney Zensen stretches the Union lead back to four points with 3:38 remaining in the third period (6-0 run). Lauren West enters double-digit scoring giving the Bulldogs a two-point lead with 1:38 remaining in the period. Jada Powell (18 points) continues to be a strong offensive presence for West Georgia, hitting two free throws to tie the game at 67. Macey Lee (14 points) increases her point total in the final moments of the third period with a three-pointer. Once again, West Georgia ties the game at 71 off a Union turnover.
Fourth Period: #5 Union 96, West Georgia 86
Macey Lee scores the first four points of the final period for the Lady bulldogs with back to back layups. West Georgia’s Zuriyah Davis then hit back-to-back jumpers to retake the lead, 77-75. West Georgia extended their lead to four point thanks to a Sydne Tolbert layup. Emma Kallas ended the Wolves run, cutting the West Georgia lead to four points. West Georgia continues to score under the basket, stretching their lead to six. West Georgia completed a 10-2 run with just under five minutes remaining. Emma Kallas cut the deficit to four points with four minutes remaining in the game. Macey Lee makes a layup cutting the lead down to two with 3:30 left in the game. With 3:24 left Shanique Lucas ties the game with a massive three-pointer (84-84). The Lady Bulldog’s retake the lead on an and-one opportunity by Jazalyn Anousinh. With 2:14 left in the game Union led 87-84. Macey Lee extended the Bulldog lead 89-84, pushing her point total to 22 points. Union went on a 21-5 run in the final moments of the game to seal the victory over West Georgia
Notable Stat Lines
Macey Lee: 22 points, 10 rebounds
Shanique Lucas: 16 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Jazalyn Anousinh: 7 points, 9 assists, 1 steal
Coach Campbell’s thoughts on the victory:
“West Georgia threw some stuff at us tonight and we struggled at times to handle it and stay poised. However, this was good for us. Stretching us will help us improve and prepare to get better. I was really proud of our toughness down the stretch. We out scored them by fifteen in the last five minutes, and that took will. This game will definitely help us moving forward.”
Union has now one 81 straight games when scoring at least 70 points, their last lost coming in 2019 in double overtime.
Union returns home to take on Christian Brothers on December 8th at 5:30 p.m.
