Fast Start Fuels SMC Past Union Commonwealth, 76–60

SPARTANBURG, SC – The Spartanburg Methodist College men's basketball team opened the game on a 13–4 run and never looked back, earning a 76–60 win over Union Commonwealth on Saturday afternoon to snap a four-game losing streak.

Spartanburg Methodist College (4–14, 2–9 AAC) relied on a balanced team effort, with five players scoring in double figures. Kennedy Aiken-Shannon led the Pioneers with 18 points, knocking down three 3-pointers and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line while adding four steals. Kelton Teasley provided a spark off the bench with 14 points. Calvin Brown chipped in 12 points and four rebounds, CJ Terrell recorded his fourth double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Caleb Jenkins finished with 10 points and five assists.

Union Commonwealth (8–13, 6–6 AAC) was led by a game-high 20 points from Dallas Rufus. Jamarion Gaines added 13 points off the bench, while Jabari Covington and Kaleb Hedgepath contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

SMC led wire to wire, though the game opened scoreless for nearly four minutes. Musa Murithi scored the first basket of the contest on a jumper with 16:03 remaining in the first half, sparking the Pioneers' 13–4 run and prompting a Union Commonwealth timeout. During the stretch, Brown connected on a pair of 3-pointers, and Aiken-Shannon added another from beyond the arc.

Later in the half, SMC pushed its lead to 11 following a steal and layup by Teasley at the 4:17 mark. The Bulldogs closed the half on a run to cut the deficit to six, 28–22, at the break.

The Pioneers opened the second half with nine straight points to build their largest lead of the game, 37–22, with 17:17 remaining after a 3-pointer from Aiken-Shannon. Union Commonwealth trimmed the margin to five, 55–50, following five unanswered points by Rufus with 6:14 to play, but SMC responded with a decisive 10–2 run to put the game away.

Spartanburg Methodist College will step out of AAC play on Wednesday, hosting Georgia Gwinnett at 7:30 p.m. at Bridges Arena. The Pioneers opened the season with a 106–70 loss to the Grizzlies in Lawrenceville, Georgia.