Bryan trips up men's basketball in AAC semis

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - All good things must come to an end.

For the first time since 2013, someone other than Union will win the Appalachian Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. Trey Morrow took a great pass from Noah Mulaski and converted a go-ahead layup with 32 seconds to go, and a suffocating defense by fifth-seeded Bryan forced two late turnovers to secure a 65-63 upset win over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the AAC semifinals Friday night.

It was Union's first loss in the AAC Tournament since Feb. 21, 2013, a streak of 29 games. The Lions, oddly enough, were also responsible for that last loss, a 78-73 final in the opening round.

It was also the Bulldogs' first loss against an AAC opponent since Feb. 3, 2022, snapping a win streak of 36 games.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 11 in the second half, but found themselves trailing for the first time all night, 62-61 on a Morrow putback layup with 1:35 to go. Initially, the deficit was short-lived, as Markelo Sullivan answered with a jumper on the ensuing possession to help Union re-take the lead.

But the Lions called a great play off the timeout and Mulaski got great penetration in the lane and found Morrow open for a layup. Union would never lead again, as Bryan forced turnovers on the next two possessions, which they turned into four game-sealing free throws.

The Bulldogs shot just 31.6 percent from the floor in the second half, including 2-of-15 from 3-point range. They also turned the ball over seven times in that span.

Markelle Turner, who was honored for winning a third-consecutive AAC Player of the Year Award pregame, led Union with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. Terrin Hamilton added 16 points and four steals while Deonte Douglas had 10 points off the bench.

Despite the disappointing end to a decade of dominance in Kingsport, the third-ranked Bulldogs' season is far from over, as they still earned an automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament by virtue of winning a regular-season conference championship.

Union will find out when and where it will open tournament play on Thursday at 8 p.m.