Both of Union’s basketball teams closed out regular season play with wins on Thursday, Feb. 27, in Memphis versus Christian Brothers University (CBU.)
The Lady Bulldogs defeated CBU 96-62, never trailing the Buccaneers in the game. The team was led by Jada Smith with 26 points, with four Union players also reaching double digits and eight of the team’s 10 players scoring in the match-up. Smith, Lady Bulldog graduate student and guard, was pleased with the team’s play in Memphis on Thursday evening.
“The CBU game was a strong finish to our regular season,” said Smith. “We communicated, defended and executed as hard as we could.”
The Bulldogs defeated the Bucs 85-73, who led by as many as 18 points throughout the entire game. The team was led by Tyree Boykin with 22 points, with Samory Gueye, Teranndus Smith and Tylandrius Parks all contributing with double digits.
Sophomore guard and business management major, Tyree Boykin, believes that exceptional defense was crucial in the team’s Thursday night win and will be key to the team’s success in the upcoming post-season stretch.
“On Thursday night, we went in with a mentality of being elite defensively,” says Boykin. “We had a stretch where we struggled in the first half but capitalized in the second half, which led to the victory.”
With these wins, both teams kept their regular season records under 10 losses. The Lady Bulldogs improved to 23-5 overall and 17-3 in the conference. The Bulldogs improved to 19-9 overall and 13-7 in the conference.
The Lady Bulldogs clinched the number one seed in the conference tournament with their win and a Lee University Lady Flames’ loss. For the 33rd season in program history, the women won the regular season as well.
The Bulldogs clinched the number five seed in the GSC Tournament with their Thursday night victory.
The Lady Bulldogs capitalized in the paint to cement their win Thursday, scoring 42 points in the lane, with 20 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs’ bench played a crucial role in Thursday’s win scoring 41 of the team’s 85 points.
With the conference tournament approaching for both teams, there are high hopes for a strong post-season run for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Smith says that because of the Lady Bulldogs are eager for the conference tournament and are grateful for the difficult games during the regular season that prepared them for the upcoming postseason.
“We feel a lot more confident about our game plan each day,” said Smith. “We have to make sure we stay focused and play one game at a time. Our team has so much potential, and I am looking forward to tournament time.”
“Going into the conference tournament, our main focuses are continuing to build our defense, which is the strength of our team, and getting more second chance opportunities,” said Boykin.
Boykin and the rest of the Bulldogs basketball team believe that when they execute defensively, they have plenty of basketball left to play.
The Lady Bulldogs play Tuesday, March 3, at home in the Fred DeLay Gymnasium at 6:00 p.m. versus Valdosta State.
The Bulldogs play Tuesday, March 3, at the University of West Alabama at 7:00 p.m.
Photo courtesy of UU Athletics