Union rallies late to secure tournament championship - Feb 27, 2018

Top-seeded Union College did it again.
For the fifth year in a row, Union captured the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball Tournament championship, recording a 73-69 victory over No. 7 seed Truett McConnell (Ga.) in the title game on Saturday.
This championship game was tighter than the ones in previous years the Bulldogs (23-7 overall). Yet, Union relied on its defense to stifle the high-powered Truett McConnell offense and fuel a late rally to secure the 2018 crown.
The Bears (20-13 overall) entered the game averaging 82.8 points per game and posted 83 points in a win over the Bulldogs on Dec. 2. However, Union limited Truett McConnell to 39.0 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers.
Tournament MVP K.J. Duronslet (6'3''-G) led the Bulldog defense with five steals to go along with his double-double, registering 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Neither team was able to seize control for long or build a big lead. There were eight ties and 13 lead changes. Truett McConnell's largest lead was eight, while Union held a nine-point cushion once.
Midway through the second half, Truett McConnell went on an 8-2 run to open up a 50-42 advantage with 10:52 to play. Union tied at 50-all following an old-fashioned, three-point play from Duronslet, but Truett McConnell grabbed a 55-53 lead after a Mario Westbrooks bucket with 5:44 remaining.
Austin Cummins (6'0''-G) came through with back-to-back 3-pointers to send the Bulldogs ahead 59-55. After a Bears bucket, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 surge to open up a 66-57 lead with 3:33 left.
During the decisive 13-2 stretch, eight of Union's points came off turnovers.
Not ready to fade away, Truett McConnell received a pair of 3s from David Campbell (6'3''-G) to make it 66-63. However, Union pushed the margin to 72-64 with 20 seconds to play en route to the four-point win and tournament championships.
Lindsey led Union in scoring with 22 points, going 7-of-10 from the floor and 7-for-7 at the foul line. He also had four assists, four steals, and three rebounds in earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team alongside Duronslet. Cummins was only other Bulldog to scoring in double figures as he finished with 11.
Jakobe Wharton (6'0''-G), who averaged 11 points during the first two rounds of the tournament, also earned All-Tournament Team honors from Union.
Making up the rest of the All-Tournament Team were: Jacob Booke (6'6''-F) and Christian Davis (5'11''-PG) from Truett McConnell, Jeron Hemphill (6'4''-F) from Montreat (N.C.), and Aaron Levarity (6'6''-F) of Milligan (Tenn.).
Campbell led Truett McConnell with 15 points, while Calvin White had 14. Booke knocked in 13, while Davis had 12 points and nine rebounds.
By virtue of Union winning both the regular-season and the tournament championships, Milligan receives the AAC's second automatic berth to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament, which will be held in Sioux Fall, S.D., on March 7-13.

Courtesy of AAC Sports

AAC Tournament Final: Union - Truett McConnell 73-69
AAC Tournament Semifinals:
Union - Montreat 72-70
Truett McConnell - Bluefield 76-60