Union Men’s Basketball Falls on Road to Cumberland

LEBANON, Tenn. - Union Commonwealth University's men's basketball team (1-3) fell to Cumberland (5-1) Saturday night at the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena, 75-63.

Senior guard Dallas Rufus led the Bulldogs with 20 points, while junior center Ali Sakho pulled down 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jabari Covington shot 67 percent from the field, finishing with 14 points. 

How It Happened

First Half: Union 35, Cumberland 27

Union got on the board early with a jumper and free throw from redshirt junior guard Drew Rhodes, followed by a three-pointer from Rufus to take the lead. The Bulldogs maintained control for most of the half, holding Cumberland to limited second-chance points.

Junior forward Devin Dunn connected on a three-pointer to extend the advantage to 13-7. Covington added seven points late in the half, including a steal and layup to push the lead to 29-22. 

Dunn followed with another layup to make it 33-25, and Covington closed the half with a jumper to send Union into the break ahead 35-27.

Second Half: Cumberland 75, Union 63

Union extended its lead to 12 points early in the second half after a layup by redshirt junior guard Kaleb Hedgepeth and a three-pointer from Jabari Covington made it 40-28. Cumberland responded with a 9-0 run to close the gap, then took its first lead at 45-44 with just over 11 minutes to play.

The Phoenix continued their momentum, pulling ahead 61-49. Rufus hit a three-pointer to cut into the deficit, and Hedgepeth added a mid-range jumper to keep Union within range.

Rufus connected again from beyond the arc in the final seconds, but Cumberland maintained its advantage to secure the 75-63 win.

Up Next

Union will host its first conference matchup of the season at home against Montreat on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7:30pm.