Men's basketball clinches share of AAC title

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - The Union men's basketball team has grown quite accustomed to playing in the NAIA National Tournament, and the Bulldogs are now just one win away from a return trip.

Markelle Turner had 24 points, Markelo Sullivan had a double-double, and a Terrin Hamilton putback layup nearly three minutes into the second half kick-started a key 15-3 run and the fifth-ranked Bulldogs were able to survive a late rally, clinching a share of the AAC regular season crown with an 84-78 win over Truett McConnell Saturday.

TMU went blow for blow with the Bulldogs well into the second half, even holding a narrow 48-46 lead following a Brent Kelly 3-pointer.

But Hamilton, who finished with nine points and 11 rebounds, cut the lead in half with a free throw on the ensuing possession, then gave Union the lead for good moments later. After missing a shot short, Hamilton raced past two Bear defenders, grabbed the rebound and put it back in for an easy layup.

A Sullivan 3-pointer and Israel Farrington transition dunk followed on the next two possessions, and the run finished after two Will Bailey free throws put Union up by double-digits, 62-51.

But it was hardly a walk in the park from that point on. Down 11 with 1:49 to play, the Bears proceeded to go on a 9-0 run and trailed just 80-78 after Kelly hit a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining.

But after missing three free throws of their own during the run, the Bulldogs finally wrapped up a 28th-straight win over an AAC foe when Deonte Douglas hit four shots from the stripe to end the game.

With his first 20-point outing in the last six games, Turner now needs just 71 points to become the sixth 2,000-point scorer in Bulldog history. Sullivan finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds as Union improves to 18-0 in AAC play

And with Tennessee Wesleyan losing 79-73 to Columbia International Saturday, the Bulldogs now only need to win at Kentucky Christian, a team they defeated 114-76 in November, to clinch an outright league title and an automatic berth into the national tournament. The teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. in Grayson Tuesday.