Union hosts MLK friendlies basketball tournament

Over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Union held a friendly basketball tournament, which was a series of games that did not impact any championship or scoring. The event was planned to include the men’s and women’s teams from Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), Andrews University and Southeastern Illinois College (SIC). However, SIC was unable to attend due to severe weather conditions. Union College has previously attended other universities’ MLK games, but this is the first time the event has been held on Union’s campus.

The first two games were held on Jan. 12 in the Thunderdome, starting with the Knights (SWAU) against the Warriors (Union) women’s teams at midday. The scores for the women’s game were Knights 61 – 53 Warriors. The game was close until the end of the third period, when the Knights obtained the lead and kept it through the fourth period.

After the women’s game, the men’s started at 2 p.m. The final score was Knights 67 – 57 Warriors. The Warriors took an early lead in period one, but the Knights overtook them with less than a minute on the clock. This led to a five point lead going into the second period, which progressed to a 10 point difference through the second period.

The second round of games began the next day, Jan. 13, with the Cardinals (Andrews) vs. the Warriors. The scores for the women’s teams were Cardinals 51 – 49 Warriors. The game was incredibly close with the Warriors starting off the first period with an eight points lead before the Cardinals evened the score and pulled ahead in the end by two points.

The score for the men’s game was Warriors 69 – 62 Cardinals. The Warriors took a slight lead before the Cardinals tied and overtook the Warriors by first period’s end. The Warriors pulled ahead during the second period, and secured the win.

On Jan. 14, the games between Southwestern and Andrews took place. The scores for the women’s game were Knights 69 – 46 Cardinals. The Knights took a nine-point lead in the first period, and ended with a 23-point lead.

The men’s score was Knights 85 – 52 Cardinals. The Knights built a lead that continued throughout the match, continuing through until the end of the game and concluding the tournament.

By James Smartt