March 9, 2024: 2024 Gulf South Conference Basketball Championships - Women's Semifinal - Union Bulldogs vs Lee Flames
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 5/9 Union University women’s basketball team lost 68-66 to Lee University in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon. Union, the 2-seed dropped to 29-3, while 3-seeded Lee improved to 21-9.
Union was the defending GSC Tournament Champions having won four straight and six overall.
This was Union’s tenth appearance in the GSC Tournament, moving its tournament record to 22-4. This was Union’s ninth GSC Semifinal appearance, dropping its record to 7-2.
This marked the seventh GSC Tournament meeting in the nine years Union and Lee have been in the league together. Union now leads that series 5-2. The last three meetings have come in the title game with Union winning each of those. This was the third meeting between Union and Lee in the GSC semifinals with Union winning twice. The only other Lee win over Union in the GSC Tournament came in the 2017 quarterfinals.
As expected between these two rivals, the game was close for the first quarter. Union led by as many as two points, while Lee held a four-point lead. Neither team shooting well and after the first 10 minutes, it was 14-14. Union was 35 percent from the field, making just 2-of-9 from long range. Lee shot 42 percent from the field but was 0-4 from 3-point range.
In the second quarter, Union was able to pull out to a lead of 10 points midway through the quarter. Shanique Lucas’s made a shot to put Union up by double figures 28-18 with 4:19 left. Lee chipped away and after a basket from Haylee Johnson in the final seconds, Union’s lead was 31-26 at the break.
Shanique Lucas scored seven first-half points and Jazalyn Anousinh added six to pace eight Union players that scored in the first half. Union finished the half shooting 37 percent from the field and 29 percent (5-17) from 3-point range. Lee was led by Mallory Hampton with eight points and Johnson with seven points. Lee shot 35 percent from the field and was 0-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half.
Lee opened the second half with its first 3-pointer of the game on a shot from Hampton and then a basket from Haley Cameron tied Union at 31 all. Union’s Emma Kallas scored the first basket for the Lady Bulldogs in the second half, but not until nearly four minutes had passed. With the game tied 35-35 with six minutes left in the quarter, Union posted a 6-0 run on back-to-back 3-pointers from Shanique Lucas and Brooke Hampel. That sparked Union and the Lady Bulldogs took control over the rest of the quarter, outscoring Lee 19-6 over the final six minutes to lead 54-41 at the end of three quarters.
Not done yet, Lee opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run to put the score at 56-53. With 3:55 left, Union’s lead was cut to just two points, 60-58. Union’s Lauren West and Lee’s Hampton swapped 3-pointers and then Hampton scored for Lee to tie the game, 63-63, with 2:04 left to play.
Then with 1:42 left in the game, Lee’s Baylee Delbridge gave her team its first lead since the first quarter with a 3-pointer with 1:42 left, 66-65. Union missed on its possession and then forced a shot clock violation and got the ball back with 39 seconds left. After a Union timeout, Shanique Lucas sank 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 66-66 with 37 seconds left. Lee took possession after a timeout of their own, with Johnson driving the paint and scoring on a layup near the end of the shot clock. Following a couple of timeouts, one from each team, Union took possession with 4.5 seconds left down 68-66. West missed a final 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Lee the win.
Union was led by Shanique Lucas with 17 points. Jazalyn Anousinh and Hampel scored 11 each, while West added 10 points. Hampel led Union with nine rebounds. Union shot 36 percent from the field, 28 percent (9-32) from 3-point range, and 79 percent (15-19) from the free throw line.
Lee was led by Hampton with 21 points and Johnson with 20 points, while Anna Muhonen added 10 points. Lee shot 45 percent from the field, 21 percent (5-24) from long range, and 87 percent (13-15) from the free throw line.
Up next for Union will be the NCAA D2 National Tournament regional round next week, March 15-18, in Valdosta, Ga. The seedings will be announced Sunday night, March 10, at 10:30 p.m. central time on the NCAA D2 Selection Show at www.ncaa.com.
