NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Union University men’s basketball clinched a GSC Championship berth on Thursday night with an 80-77 win at Trevecca Nazarene, sweeping the season series over the Trojans.
Jeremiah Littlepage and CJ Jackson led Union with 21 points apiece, while Parker Applegate logged his season’s eighth double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Down 78-77 with seconds to play, TNU had a chance to take the last shot of the game when Kaleim Taylor stole the ball and laid it in, putting the Bulldogs up three. The Trojans’ heave at the buzzer was no good, and Union escaped with the win after leading by 14 with less than nine minutes to play.
Taylor finished with nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and one all-important takeaway.
Union shot 34-67 (.507) and finished over 50% from the floor for the first time on the road. The Bulldogs shot 8-25 (.320) from three-point range; seven Bulldogs connected on a triple.
Union was credited with 12 blocks, the second-most by a GSC team this season and the most by Union since joining the league in the 2012-13 season. Littlepage had four swats, a season-high, and Judson Bjornstad matched his career-best with three.
The GSC’s second-leading scorer, Jalen Page, led the Trojans with 23 points on 9-21 shooting.
The Bulldogs will complete the regular season at Lee University on Saturday before playing in the first round of the GSC Championship on Tuesday, March 4.
