By Alex Brown
The Bulldogs men’s and women’s basketball teams recorded early-season Homecoming wins Saturday, defeating their visiting opponents 79–69 and 83–57, respectively.
The men, playing Truett-McConnell College from Georgia in their season opener, struggled out of the gate, trailing by as many as 11 midway through the first half. A scoring onslaught helped them close the gap before halftime, and the Bulldogs opened the second half trailing 41–38.
Antoine Joseph, senior sport management major, opened the second half with a tying 3-pointer, and Union quickly jumped out to a lead. The Bulldogs matched Truett-McConnell’s first-half scoring with 41 second-half points, while holding the Bears to 28.
Roland Banhoro, senior business administration major, led Union with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Joseph also recorded a double-double, tallying 17 points and 12 boards.
“We did a good job in that game having poise and remaining patient with ourselves the whole game,” Banhoro said after the game. “I was happy with the way we were able to stick together until the end.”
The Lady Bulldogs entered their game with St. Francis University from Illinois 1–0, and the back-to-back NAIA national champions wasted no time living up to their reputation, cruising into halftime with a 53–22 advantage.
The second half gave Union a chance to play its reserves as it cruised to an easy win.
Zeinab Chan, senior history major, led Union with 18 points, and all 11 Lady Bulldog players scored in the contest.
