SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Brian Noone led four senior Dutchmen in double figures with a game-high 20 points as the Union College men's basketball team picked up an important 91-63 victory over Bard College in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
In addition to Noone, who hit 8-of-14 shots from the field and added eight rebounds, classmate Chris Lovisolo also had an excellent game off the bench with a career-high 17 points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Fellow seniors Temi George and Mike Manley both reached double figures as well; George just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine boards, and Manley chipped in 12 points, four assists, three boards and three steals.
 
Union (9-10, 6-7 Liberty League) had one of its highest scoring outputs of the year on Saturday, hitting 31-of-64 shots from the field (48.4 percent) and also knocking down 22-of-26 attempts (84.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
Junior Mike Caporale started the scoring with an old-fashioned three-point play in the opening minute and Union never trailed in the first half, leading by as many as 19 points.
 
The Dutchmen hit 15-of-34 shots (44.1 percent) from the field in the opening half, and also outscored Bard (7-12, 3-9 Liberty League) by a 22-10 margin in the paint. Leading 19-16 with 7:55 on the clock, Union exploded for 16 straight points over the next four minutes, hitting 7-of-8 shots to take a 35-16 edge with 3:54 left. Noone led the team with six points during the run, while Bard missed all 10 field-goal attempts and turned the ball over twice during the pivotal spell.
 
The teams played the first seven minutes of the second half even, but a fast-break dunk by sophomore Edward Baptiste capped a quick 7-0 run to put the Dutchmen up 60-41 with 11:52 left. George had four points during a subsequent 8-0 run that bumped the lead above 20 for the first time and the deficit never fell back into the teens the rest of the way. Junior Willy Samsen scored five straight points to help Union to its largest lead at 89-59 in the waning minutes; Samsen finished with seven points on a three-pointer and four free throws.
 
The Dutchmen dominated on the glass against Bard, finishing with a 48-33 edge in rebounds and posting a 42-26 edge scoring in the paint.
 
Union will return to the court on Tuesday to take on Skidmore College beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.