HENDERSON, Tenn. - Trailing by five points with 1:15 left, Freed-Hardeman's Jonathan Milewski had a wide-open look at a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
The ball hit front iron, then the backboard, then rested for a split second again on the front of the rim before falling off the mark.
It was a perfect way to sum up the second half for the Lions in an 84-75 loss to No. 18 Union (Tenn.) University on Saturday afternoon in the FHU Sports Center.
Freed-Hardeman's struggles behind the 3-point arc continued in this game, and were a huge difference in the second half. The Lions (8-7, 1-1) missed their first 13 attempts from behind the arc and went 2-for-19 from 3-point range for the half.
It was enough to prevent the Lions, who held a 29-25 lead at the break, from being able to get over the hump as Union pulled away late, mostly at the free throw line. The Bulldogs (13-5, 4-0) went 18-for-26 from the stripe over the final seven minutes of play and shot 49 free throws for the game compared to 26 for Freed-Hardeman.
Early on, things looked good for FHU as the Lions opened the game with a 10-0 run. But Union answered with a 10-0 run of its own to tie the game up, and neither team led by more than six points until five minutes to play when Union went on a 10-1 run to go ahead 65-56.
Milewski's miss turned out to be Freed-Hardeman's last gasp, as the Bulldogs quickly expanded their lead to 11 points by making four free throws and getting a layup in transition. Milewski and Jesse Moulton each hit 3-pointers in the final minute to end the Lions' drought, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Zack Frey led the Lions with 21 points while Ken Bingham scored 19 in his return after missing two games. No other Lion scored in double figures as FHU shot just 37.9 percent from the field. Union's Greg Truvillion led all scorers with 24 points.
FHU gets little rest as they head to Nashville on Monday to face No. 14 Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) at 8:00 PM.
Click here for box score.
