Like clockwork: Men's basketball captures AAC title again

GRAYSON, Ky. - The Union men's basketball team didn't feel like wasting any time punching its ticket back into the NAIA National Tournament.

DJ Mercer and Terrin Hamilton both topped 20 points, Markelo Sullivan had a 10-point, 12-assist double-double and the fifth-ranked Bulldogs became the first team to lock down an automatic berth into the national field, clinching another Appalachian Athletic Conference championship with a decisive 100-61 win over Kentucky Christian Tuesday night.

"(Being the first team to clinch) along with simply winning the regular season are very impressive accomplishments for this team," Bulldog coach Kevin Burton said. "I think our players have a really good balance of being pleased with this accomplishment with also looking ahead to the upcoming challenges."

After facing several stiff challenges on the road as of late, the Bulldogs wasted no time putting the Knights away, with Mercer and Hamilton connecting on 3-pointers during an early 8-0 run. Mercer then made a layup with 11:31 to play in the first half to give the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead at 25-14, and it would only expand from there.

Mercer hit 10-of-17 from the floor to finish with a career-best 23 points, two more than Hamilton, who made five 3-pointers.

Sullivan recorded his fourth double-double of the season while adding seven assists, one less than game leader Markelle Turner, who also scored nine points.

It was a complete statistical domination by the Bulldogs, who held a 65-32 rebounding edge and a 28-8 advantage in assists. It also marked the fourth game in a row they've scored at least 100 points against the Knights.

The Bulldogs have won nine consecutive regular-season league titles (no champion was declared in the 2020-21 season), and they clinched with a lot more time to spare than they have in recent years.

Now 20-0 in the AAC, Union wraps up the league championship with four games remaining on the regular season schedule. The Bulldogs secured a league title with just one game to spare a season ago, and didn't clinch until the final day of the season in both 2019 and 2020, even needing overtime to finish the deal in 2019.

But now, the Bulldogs enter the final stretch with an opportunity to run the table in AAC play for the first time since winning a national championship in 2017. And though Burton says he and his players often discuss long-term goals, he says a conversation about a perfect run though conference hasn't come up.

"We definitely talk about big picture items," Burton said. "But we've never talked about that. We've not got that detail of what our record should be. I'm honestly just ready to turn the page to tomorrow and get ready for Tennessee Wesleyan.

Union, which is also hoping to win a 10th straight AAC Conference Tournament, will travel to Tennessee Wesleyan for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday.