BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – Kelvin Jackson and Markelle Turner teamed up to score 53 points on Thursday, but Union College men’s basketball dropped another Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest, falling 96-83 to visiting Montreat College (N.C.).
Union falls to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the AAC, while Montreat improves to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in league play.
CAREER NIGHT FOR JACKSON
Jackson notched a career-high 27 points to pace the Bulldogs in scoring. The Knoxville, Tenn., native went 10-of-21 from the floor and was 4-for-9 from 3-point range. This marks the second time this season he scored 20 or more points in a game, and he is averaging 22.7 points per game over the last three outings.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
An 8-0 run early in the game sent the Bulldogs up 15-13. A Blake Ervin 3-pointer put Union ahead two at the 14:27 mark. However, Montreat responded with an 11-0 surge in grabbing a 24-15 advantage and never relinquished the lead.
The Cavaliers led by as much as 17 in the first half, yet the Bulldogs closed the period on a 9-2 run to make it 52-42 at the half.
Union opened the second half with a 6-2 spurt, cutting the deficit to 54-48. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs could not any closer to reclaiming the lead as the Cavaliers left town with the 96-83 victory.
PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS
Turner continues to be a scoring machine for Union, dropping 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting and going 5-for-10 from long range. He has scored 20 or more points in all six games this season, the longest stretch by any Bulldog since Nick Riley did so during the 2015-16 campaign.
STAT OF THE GAME
Montreat scored nearly a third of its points at the foul line, going 30-for-37. Conversely, Union attempted only 11 free throws, making eight.
BULLDOG NOTES
- Derio Little and Jason Don also scored in double figures for Union, netting 10 points apiece.
- Montreat controlled the glass, outrebounding Union 49-33.
- Jackson and Don led the Bulldogs’ rebounding attack with seven each.
- Ervin dished out five assists with Little adding four.
NEXT FOR THE BULLDOGS
Union hits the road on Saturday to face Reinhardt University (Ga.) in another AAC tilt. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
