The Bulldogs had their best offensive performance of the season so far in a 103-58 win over Fisk University. The offensive onslaught was lead by Nick Velazquez, senior communications major, who had 23 points and Tyree Boykin, freshman business management major, who had 20 points.
Velazquez came out with a hot hand from the start, nailing five straight shots from beyond the arc in the first half and would gong on to hit all seven of his seven three-point attempts and eight of his nine field goals on the night. While he lead the team in three-pointers, the team as a whole shot 52% from downtown. Boykin also hit on five of his six three-pointers clocking in as the teams second leading scorer.
“I just had to come out aggressive,” said Velazquez. “Everyone else followed my lead. We just wanted to set the tone.”
While the guards were hitting shots on the perimeter, the bigs were getting physical down low in the paint. Charlie Wilson, senior computer science major, and Pedro Da Silva, junior international business major, were throwing down dunks on the opposing post players.
Union had five players score in double figures on Thursday night and shot a staggering 68% from the field as a team. Assistant coach Trevor Lydic attributed this massive scoring volume to excellent passing and unselfishness.
“Nick was seven of seven from three, Tyree was five of six from three, and Charlie was six of six in the post,” said Lydic. “take your pick [for most impactful player of the game].”
However, Fisk would not go down quietly as they played a very scrappy and physical brand of basketball. Towards the end of the first half there was an altercation between two players after a fast break, resulting in a hard foul, who then had to be separated. No technical fouls were given to either team.
The Bulldogs play at home in Fred Delay again on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. when they face off against Lemoyne-Owen College for the second time this season. Union beat Leymone-Owen 66-58 last week at the GSC-SAAC Crossover Classic in Memphis.