Union College mounted a massive comeback late in the game, but it was too little, too late as visiting King College held on for the 81-76 Appalachian Athletic Conference women's basketball victory on Saturday.
Freshman Carrie Bistline (Frankfort, Ky.) led Union with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Allison Fowler (Morganfield, Ky.) chipped in 18 points. Susanna Todd (Eubank, Ky.) added 12 points.
King's Teddi Frazier led all scorers with 38 points.
Down 70-50 with 4:03 to play, Union began to mount a massive rally. A 16-2 run pulled Union with six at the 1:06 mark. After a pair of Kaitlyn Kohns free throws, Union continued to surge, cutting the margin to 75-74 after a Fowler bucket with 24 seconds remaining.
But that would as close as Union could get.
King went 6 for 6 from the foul line in the close seconds to wrap up the 81-76 victory.
Poor shooting from behind the arc hampered Union. It finished the game making 8 of 23 (34.8 percent) for the game from 3-point range, but Union hit just 25.0 percent (3 of 12 shots) in the second half. Union also went 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) from the foul line.
King lived at the charity stripe, making 18 of 27 (66.7 percent), and was 9 of 17 (52.9 percent) from 3-point range.
Union (11-17 overall, 6-12 AAC) will play at Montreat (N.C.) College on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
In the men's game, although it was "Senior Night" at Union College, it proved to be a sophomore who stepped up big in the second half as Union held off visiting King College for an 85-74 Appalachian Athletic Conference basketball win on Saturday.
Sophomore Jerrod Gibbons (Monticello, Ky.) scored 14 of his team-high 23 points in the second half, breaking the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season. He hit 8-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and all four of his free-throw attempts.
The win improved Union to 19-9 overall and 13-5 in the AAC. The 19 wins is the most Union has had in a season since it won that many during the 1997-98 season. The last time Union had a 20-win season was in 1996-97.
Early on, the play was tight, but Union used a 12-6 stretch to open up a 24-16 lead with 8:05 left in the half. King, though, rallied on a 20-10 run to take a 36-34 advantage with 46 seconds remaining. But Union took a 38-36 lead into the break after Gibbons hit back-to-back shots to close out the half.
King tied the score three times early on in the second, the last time at 42-all. From that point on, Union began to steadily add to its lead, taking a 76-64 margin with 3:34 to play. King tried to fight back but could get no closer than eight as Union posted the 85-74 victory.
In addition to Gibbons, three others scored in double figures for Union. Senior Chris Mullins (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) had 14 points and nine rebounds, while senior Joe Bramlage (Lakeside Park, Ky.) and sophomore Chris Stunson (Richmond, Ky.) each netted 12 points.
For King (12-16 overall, 8-10 AAC), Nick Pasqua led the way with 24 points, while Jonathan Woodard added 20. Derek Linkous chipped in 14 points.
Union dominated the boards, outrebounding King 35-28. Union also shot the lights out, making 57.4 percent (31 of 54 shots) of its shots from the field, while King made just 43.6 percent (24 of 55) of its.
Union returns to action on Tuesday when it pays Montreat (N.C.) College at visit. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.