2011-12 Men's Basketball

JACKSON, Tenn. - No. 10 Union (Tenn.) University outscored Freed-Hardeman 18-9 over the last 5:36 of play to take a 69-60 win over the Lions in a battle for first place in the TranSouth Conference on Saturday at Union's Fred Delay Gymnasium.

The win keeps Union (20-6, 11-1) ahead of Freed-Hardeman (16-8, 9-2) in the conference standings and gives them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lion should the two end up tied by virtue of sweeping the season series.  The Bulldogs won the first meeting, 84-75, on Jan. 16.

Stopped is the eight-game winning streak for FHU, and efficient shooting that helped fuel the streak was nowhere to be found today.  The Lions shot only 31.9 percent (22-of-69) from the field and 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from 3-point range in their worst shooting performance of the season.

Union, meanwhile, shot 54.5 percent in the second half and scored on nine of its last 12 possessions to seal the win.  Antoine Joseph, who entered the game having made just 19 3-pointers, hit a pair of big ones as part of that final push.  FHU, on the other hand, made just three of its last 10 field goal attempts.  

The Lions were led by Ken Bingham's 10 points, the only player in double figures for FHU.

Freed-Hardeman still holds a two-game lead in the loss column in the conference standings over two teams the Lions face next week: Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) and Mid-Continent (Ky.) University.  Wins in those games would clinch a second place conference finish for FHU.

First, however, the Lions must face Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College on Monday at the Sports Center.