WILMORE, Ky. – The Asbury University men's basketball team fell just short at home in overtime to Union by a score of 96-88 on Tuesday evening.

AU moves to 6-9 on the year and has now lost two games to the Bulldogs in overtime this season.

Things did not start off well for Asbury as Union quickly jumped ahead 15-5 in the first five minutes of play. The Bulldogs continued to shoot hot from across the perimeter, while the Eagles' offense struggled to consistently score.

Union extended its lead all the way out to 45-19 with a 27-6 run later on in the opening half.

The Bulldogs shot 66 percent from the floor and were 10-16 from long range to boast a 54-33 advantage at the break.

Asbury slowly began their comeback attempt in the second half. AU shut down Union's offensive pace and held them to just 26 percent shooting in the half. The Eagles also forced 14 turnovers from Union in the second half.

Back-to-back three-point shots from Desmond Duke helped cut the lead down to just 12 at 58-46.

Down 71-58 with under 10 minutes left, AU would go on a 20-3 run.

The run quickly sliced the lead down to just single digits at 71-62 following a jumper from Blaine May.

A basket in the paint from Siah Holifield gave Asbury their first lead of the night with 2:44 left in regulation. Duke nailed a three on the ensuing possession to push AU ahead by four to cap off the run.

Union would tie the contest up at 78 with one-minute left. Neither team would score in the final minute to force overtime.

AU would score the first three points in overtime on a three-point play from Holifield. However, the Bulldogs would score the next 12 points to take a 90-81 lead. The Eagles would not score again until there were 18 seconds left, where it was a little too late to make a comeback again.

Leander Ridgeway recorded his second consecutive double-double, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds on 10-19 shooting. Ridgeway also dished out four assists.

Eric Powell tallied 18 points, while Caleb Bonny added 14. Also scoring in double figures were Desmond Duke with 12 points and Siah Holifield, who finished with 11. Powell, Duke, and Holifield all collected four assists each.

AU shot 41 percent from the floor on Tuesday and scored 21 points off of turnovers.

The Eagles will return to action on December 30 at Thomas More. Tip-off is slated for 7 PM.