HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville played an instant classic on Friday afternoon at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall, but unfortunately it was perennially-strong Union who was able to secure an 82-80 win in double overtime. The Chargers slip to 5-5 (3-2 Gulf South Conference), while Union improves to 11-2 (5-0 GSC).
 
Turning Point
-An Emily Beard 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the second overtime knotted the contest at 80-80, and after being fouled on a defensive rebound on the other end, Jacie Higgins knocked down a pair of free throws with four seconds left to give the guests the victory.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Five different Chargers scored in double figures, led by Holly Harris who went 7-for-10 from the floor to score 18 to go along with three rebounds, three steals, and an assist.
-Aryn Sanders turned in an impressive double-double as she scored 17 while also grabbing 16 rebounds, and Katie Speegle also notched a double-double as she scored 15 while snagging 11 boards in addition to handing out a team-high five assists and blocking a pair of shots.
-Emiline Payne scored 12, and Selena Pruitt chipped in with 10 to round out UAH's double-figure scorers.
-For the game, UAH shot 40.5 percent including a 10-for-25 showing from long-range, while Union connected on 45.1 percent overall but was just 5-for-18 from beyond the arc.
-UAH won the rebounding battle by a 47-43 margin.
-The Chargers had assists on 15 – or half – of their baskets, and the team turned it over just 13 times in the 50 minutes of play.
 
Inside the Flow
-After falling behind briefly early, the Chargers would lead for much of the contest including in the first quarter when they would go up by as many as seven before taking a 24-18 lead into the second.
-UAH would led by as many as eight in the second frame, and though the Bulldogs went on a late run to go in front with just under a minute left in the period, a pair of Harris free throws just prior to the expiration of the half let the Chargers take a 39-38 lead into the locker room.
-A Payne 3-pointer at the 3:34 mark of the third quarter gave UAH a 48-42 advantage, but the Bulldogs scored 11 straight to take a 53-48 lead by the end of the stanza.
-The run continued into the fourth as Union claimed a 56-48 advantage with 8:34 remaining in regulation, but the Chargers would storm back, with an old-fashioned 3-point play from Sanders at the 1:16 mark giving UAH the edge at 67-62.
-Beard would hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, however, to tie the game at 65-65 and force overtime.
-In the first overtime period, there would be a pair of lead changes and two ties before a free throw from Sanders gave the Chargers a 72-69 lead with 26 seconds remaining, but Union would once again step back from the brink when Jada Smith hit a 3-pointer with just four seconds left to make it 72-72 going into a second extra five minutes.
-The Bulldogs surged first, scoring five straight to go up 77-72 with 2:57 remaining, but a Payne 3 followed by a trey from Harris gave the Chargers a 78-77 advantage with just under a minute remaining.
-A pair of Pruitt free throws made it 80-77 with 37 seconds on the clock, but the Bulldogs then tied the game and hit the game-winning free throws in the waning moments to secure the victory.
 
Noteworthy
-This is UAH's second overtime game of the season, and it is the team's first double overtime game since at least the 2011-12 season.
-Sanders logs her second double-double of the season, and she sets a career-best mark with the 16 rebounds.
-This is also the second double-double of the year for Speegle.
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will be off until the 2020 calendar year as the team will welcome Tennessee Wesleyan on Jan. 2. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.