Union Captures 2021 Men's Basketball Tournament Championship

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Eighth verse, same as the first.

Despite being the No. 7 seed, Union captured the 2021 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball Tournament championship as it defeated No. 4 seed Tennessee Wesleyan 79-64 on Saturday.

This is Union's eighth consecutive tournament title.

The tournament is being held at the MeadowView Marriot Convention Center & Conference Resort in Kingsport, Tenn.

Union grabbed the lead early and never looked back. A pair of Kelvin Jackson free throws put Union up 14-13 with 13:29 left in the first half, and Union never trailed again. A Markelle Turner 3-pointer in the closing seconds gave Union its first double-digit lead as it led 39-29 at the half.

Tennessee Wesleyan pulled within five of Union in the second half. However, Union led by as much as 17 on its way to the 79-64 final and the tournament championship.

Turner led Union with 30 points and finished the tournament having scored 131 points in four games for an average of 32.75 points per game. For his efforts he was named the Tournament MVP. Joining him on the All-Tournament Team are Andre Silva and Blake Ervin of Union, Ty Patterson and Billy Balogun of Tennessee Wesleyan, Noah Dunn of Montreat, and Jalin Wimberly of Reinhardt.

With the win, Union earns an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Tournament. The other qualifiers from the AAC and the rest of the national tournament field will be announced next week.