JACKSON, Tenn. – The Trevecca Nazarene University men's basketball team entered play on Wednesday evening with a chance to still earn a home game in the Gulf South Conference tournament quarterfinal, but the Trojans had no margin for error. Unfortunately for Trevecca, they were unable to hold onto a slim halftime lead on the road, and they will now start the GSC championship away from the Trojans Fieldhouse.
Trevecca (17-10, 12-9 GSC) held a 33-32 lead at the break at Union University (11-16, 7-14 GSC), but the Trojans allowed Union to earn 20 second half free throws, and the Bulldogs cashed in 18 of them, as they took an 89-85 win over Trevecca, officially ending the Trojans' hopes of a first round home game in the GSC tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trevecca scored six of the game's first nine points, but Union clawed their way back to take the lead at 10-8 with 14:39 left in the first half. Consecutive 3-pointers from Fred Bailey and Brett Wright midway through the stanza gave the Trojans a 19-14 edge, and Trevecca eventually inched the lead to six at 25-19 on another triple from Wright with 6:27 to go. Union answered with an 8-0 run to take a 27-25 lead, but the Trojans then scored the next seven points to reclaim the advantage at 32-27, but at the break, Trevecca's lead had shrunk to a single point at 33-32.
Bailey scored 10 of the Trojans' first 12 points of the second half, and with 15:38 to play, Trevecca held a six point lead at 45-39. Over the next three minutes, the Trojans kept the Bulldogs at bay, but with 12:39 to play in the game, Union mounted a mini-surge. The Bulldogs put together a 7-2 run to take a 53-52 lead, and as the clock wound down, the game remained close.
With 6:04 to play, Wright scored at the rim to put Trevecca up 66-64, but Union went on a 7-0 run to take a 71-66 lead, and the Trojans were chasing the rest of the night. The Trojans cut the lead to a single point when Wright connected from deep with 2:41 to play, but the Bulldogs got a pair of free throws and then a 3-pointer of their own to push their lead to 78-72 with just 1:22 left on the clock. Wright buried three more 3-point shots in the closing seconds, but the Trojans were never able to get the game tied, and Union sealed the win at the foul line for the 89-85 win.
THE TEAM
Trevecca continued to shoot the ball well in the game, as they made 30 of 61 (49.2%) shots and 13 of 26 (50%) from long distance. The Trojans also made 12 of 15 (80%) free throws, but Union was 24-for-27 (88.9%) from the line and that proved to be the difference. The Trojans out-rebounded Union 35-30, but 16 turnovers proved costly, as they helped create 27 fast break points and 20 points off turnovers for Union.
THE PLAYERS
Wright and Bailey carried the Trojans in the game. The duo combined for 56 points - Wright had a career-high 31, while Bailey finished with 25 - and they combined to make 19 of 30 (63.3%) shots including 12 of 16 (75%) from deep. Bailey led the team with nine rebounds, and he doled out four assists as well. Da'Shon Fisher was the only other Trojan to reach double-figures, as he finished with 10 in the game.
GSC RACE
Headed into the season's final evening on Friday, the Trojans are now mathematically eliminated from hosting a first round game, as they are 2 games behind Alabama-Huntsville for the fourth seed. More importantly, the Trojans slip behind Valdosta State, as the Blazers beat Auburn-Montgomery on Wednesday. The Blazers and Trojans split in the regular season, and thus, the tiebreaker will have to be determined by the conference following Saturday's play if the teams remain tied.
UP NEXT
Trevecca will complete their regular season on Friday night with a road tilt at Christian Brothers (5-20, 4-17 GSC). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Memphis.
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