The Lions men’s basketball team won 80-63 in their Jan. 12 home game against Union.

With 18:22 left in the first half, UNA player Keynan Jackson passed the ball to teammate Wes Long on a fast break. Long pulled a three-pointer that gave the Lions a 6-4 lead.

UNA had a 30-20 lead heading into the second half.

The Lions did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.

“Union has been playing everyone in our league and everybody they played very close,” said UNA Coach Bobby Champagne. “I thought tonight was the first time that I have seen a team extend the lead and keep them out of it.”

UNA’s perimeter defense, which is the best in the Gulf South Conference, held the Bulldogs to 15.6 percent from behind the 3-point line.

“We knew we had to contest and we did a pretty good job of contesting, and in the first half, we did a pretty job of rebounding those long shots,” Champagne said.

Champagne said Union usually averages eight or nine made 3-pointers a game while the Lions only allowed them to make five out of their 32 attempts.

“Union is a good addition to the league; they travelled well today,” Champagne said.

Games played against Union count toward opponents’ conference records, but they are not eligible for the tournament because Union is only a provisional member of the GSC until the 2014-2015 athletic season.

The Lions will play Shorter Jan.17 in Flowers Hall. Shorter defeated Valdosta on the road Jan. 5.

“Next week is a tough week; Shorter is very good,” Champagne said. “They are a high energy, high offensive team, so we have to get back in transition.”

After their game with Shorter, UNA will play its biggest game of the season as they travel to Huntsville to play UAH. UAH is first in the GSC and ranked third in the nation.

“Obviously, UAH is playing as good as anybody in the country,” Champagne said.