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Bryan trips up men's basketball in AAC semis

All good things must come to an end.

For the first time since 2013, someone other than Union will win the Appalachian Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. Trey Morrow took a great pass from Noah Mulaski and converted a go-ahead layup with 32 seconds to go, and a suffocating defense by fifth-seeded Bryan forced two late turnovers to secure a 65-63 upset win over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the AAC semifinals Friday night.

It was Union's first loss in the AAC Tournament since Feb. 21, 2013, a streak of 29 games. The Lions, oddly enough, were also responsible for that last loss, a 78-73 final in the opening round.

It was also the Bulldogs' first loss against an AAC opponent since Feb. 3, 2022, snapping a win streak of 36 games.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 11 in the second half, but found themselves trailing for the first time all night, 62-61 on a Morrow putback layup with 1:35 to go. Initially, the deficit was short-lived, as Markelo Sullivan answered with a jumper on the ensuing possession to help Union re-take the lead.

But the Lions called a great play off the timeout and Mulaski got great penetration in the lane and found Morrow open for a layup. Union would never lead again, as Bryan forced turnovers on the next two possessions, which they turned into four game-sealing free throws.

The Bulldogs shot just 31.6 percent from the floor in the second half, including 2-of-15 from 3-point range. They also turned the ball over seven times in that span.

Markelle Turner, who was honored for winning a third-consecutive AAC Player of the Year Award pregame, led Union with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. Terrin Hamilton added 16 points and four steals while Deonte Douglas had 10 points off the bench.

Despite the disappointing end to a decade of dominance in Kingsport, the third-ranked Bulldogs' season is far from over, as they still earned an automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament by virtue of winning a regular-season conference championship.

Union will find out when and where it will open tournament play on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Original source can be found here.