Men's basketball opens AAC play with another thrilling win

MONTREAT, N.C. - The most compelling rivalry in the Appalachian Athletic Conference in recent years didn't disappoint on Saturday, particularly for those hoping for a Union win.

A Terrin Hamilton poster dunk with 4:52 gave Union the lead, and the Bulldogs withstood a late Montreat rally to win a thrilling 94-92 men's basketball matchup Saturday, the AAC opener for each team.

For the second game in a row, the Bulldogs came out flat in the second half, as the Cavaliers opened on a 13-2 run, and found themselves ahead 59-49 on an Elochukwu Eze layup.

But Union answered with a 15-5 run of its own. And while the game would stay within six point the rest of the way, the Bulldogs led for good after Hamilton barreled into the lane and threw down an emphatic, one-handed jam over a Montreat defender, producing the most exciting of his 22 points.

Union hit five straight free throws down the stretch, but still had to sweat things out, as a Gabriel Rivera 3-pointer with seven second to play cut the deficit to 93-92.

Markelle Turner, who led the Bulldogs with 23 points, split a pair of free throws to push the lead to two, and while the Cavaliers did get a shot at a game-winning 3-pointer, it was well defended and missed the rim entirely.

DJ Mercer and Anton Mozga both had 10 points off the bench, with Mozga adding a game-best 11 rebounds and a team-best four assists.

The game was a rematch of last season's AAC Tournament Championship game, an 84-79 Union win. Though the Bulldogs have gotten the best of Montreat in the postseason, Saturday snapped a four-game losing streak to the Cavaliers in the regular season.

NEXT UP FOR THE BULLDOGS

Union has two more AAC games on the schedule next week, starting with a 7:30 p.m. road matchup against Johnson on Tuesday.