JACKSON, Tenn. – On Thursday night, the No. 11/15 Union University women’s basketball team lost in overtime 84-81 to Lee University. This was Union’s first conference loss of the season, breaking their 10-game winning streak and coming at the hands of their rival who put them out in the 2023-24 GSC semifinals in their last meeting. Union is now 14-3 overall (9-1 GSC), and Lee improves to 13-3 overall (7-3 GSC).
The game was tight from start to finish with both teams fighting to earn the victory. Union jumped out to a 9-2 lead just over halfway through the first quarter, but the Flames scored 17 points to go into the second period with a 19-18 lead. Lee led for 9:25 seconds in the second quarter, but a Shylee Morrison three-pointer with two seconds left gave Union a 40-39 advantage at the half.
The Lady Bulldogs gained their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter when Jazalyn Anousinh made a layup at the 5:20 second mark to put Union up 52-41. Lee closed the gap once again, but Union was able to grab an 8-point lead with 5:24 seconds left in the fourth. However, it was short lived as the Flames went on a 16-6 run to lead 72-70 with 20 seconds left in regulation. Union wasn’t finished though, tying the game courtesy of a layup from Emily Jones and forcing overtime. Ultimately, the Lady Bulldogs’ effort wasn’t enough to overcome the Flames.
Through all 45 minutes of play, Lee outshot Union 57.4 percent to 37 percent from the field and 47.8 percent to 20.6 percent from beyond the arc, while the Lady Bulldogs had the advantage from the foul line, 76.9 percent to 65.5 percent. The Flames controlled the boards overall, grabbing 44 to Union’s 33. Lee committed two times as many turnovers as Union with 30 total in the game. The contest was physical throughout with 52 fouls being committed and three players fouling out, including Lee’s Mia Hurst, Union’s Alexis Callins, and Union’s Jones.
Jeremia Montgomery scored a season-high 21 points on 8-18 shooting from the field. Olivia Lee and Shylee Morrison joined Montgomery in double-digits with 12 apiece. Olivia Lee also tied her season high rebound total with seven in the game. Macey Lee grabbed the most steals with four, while Anousinh topped the assists category with three. Keisharna Lucas and Jones each put up one block, a season high for Jones.
Lee’s Mallory Hampton had an impressive performance, scoring 34 points and shooting 12-18 from the field, 4-8 from three-point range, and 6-8 from the free throw line. She also grabbed seven boards, tying Baylee Delbridge for Lee’s most in the game. Kara Williams followed Hampton with 16 points of her own.
Up next, the Lady Bulldogs will face GSC newcomer Trevecca Nazarene University in Fred DeLay Gymnasium on Jan. 18 at 2:00 p.m.
