HENDERSON, Tenn. - It was a win the Freed-Hardeman Lions desperately needed.Mid-way through the second half, it was also one that it looked like they wouldn't get.
Instead, the No. 14 Lions completed a whirlwind rally that turned a 17-point deficit with 11:27 left into a 75-73 victory over the No. 4 Union (Tenn.) University Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in the Sports Center.
The win improves FHU to 21-8 on the season and 12-3 in conference play. More importantly, it means the Lions can wrap up second place in the regular-season conference standings with a win on Thursday. It also means the Lions can still claim the regular season title if Union loses one of its final three games and keeps them in good position for an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
Freed-Hardeman is the only team to defeat Union (22-5, 11-2) in conference play and swept the regular season series with the Bulldogs for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
The Bulldogs used hot shooting in the first half - 55.9 percent from the floor - to build a 47-36 halftime lead. Kristoffer Smith almost single-handedly kept FHU in the game in the first 20 minutes, scoring 16 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting while no other Lion scored more than four points.
Freed-Hardeman scored two quick buckets out of halftime to trim the Union lead to seven points, but the Bulldogs opened up their largest lead of the game on the heels of a 12-2 run, finished by a Matt Neaville 3-pointer with 11:27 remaining. Union still held a 15-point advantage (65-50) with 8:40 to play.
Senior guard Shun Trevillian got the rallied started, scoring seven straight points to help pull FHU within nine points at the 5:19 mark. Later, it was Smith scoring six straight as part of an 11-0 run that saw the Lions tie the game at 69-69 after a Trevillian layup with 1:22 left.
Matt Neaville responded for Union with a 15-footer to put the Bulldogs back up by two. But Logan Greer canned a 3-pointer off right wing the next trip down as FHU took its first lead since early in the game. Keith Tolliver and Zack Frey each made two free throws on their team's next possessions to keep the Lion lead at one point with 26 seconds left.
Frey then blocked Greg Truvillion's shot in the paint and Trevillian grabbed the loose ball with 2.6 seconds left. Trevillian made 1-of-2 from the line, and Martez Hawkins missed a last-second heave from just inside half court as the Lions completed the comeback.
Smith led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Trevillian added 17 - 13 in the second half - and Frey chipped in 10.
FHU finishes the regular season on Thursday against Lyon (Ark.) College at 8:00 PM in Henderson.
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