SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – First-year Matthew Garside hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining in regulation as the Union College men's basketball team pulled out a very important 67-65 victory over St. Lawrence University in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
The win was key in keeping postseason hopes alive for Union (13-9, 8-8 Liberty League), as the team remains in a three-way tie for fourth place with Bard College and Rochester Institute of Technology with two games remaining.
 
Senior Luke McGarrity had a big effort for Union on Senior Day, leading all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point land. Sophomore Christian Dufort added 16 points and 10 rebounds for a second-straight double-double as well, while first-year Tanner Tedesco grabbed six rebounds and dished out 10 assists, the most by a Union player since Kevin Weckworth '18 had 11 dimes against St. Lawrence on January 3, 2015.
 
The Garnet Chargers led for only 22 seconds in the second half, but it was the most important 22 seconds of the game for the home team. After a three-point play by SLU's Adam Dudzinski put the visitors up 65-60 with 2:30 left, sophomore Aren Cummings hit a layup to get back within a possession with 1:37 on the clock. SLU then missed the front end of a one-and-one and Cummings delivered again with 1:04 left to make it a 65-64 game before getting a steal on the next possession to set Union up with 37 seconds left.
 
Out of a timeout, Dufort zipped a cross-court pass to Garside on the wing for a wide-open three that rattled home to put Union up 67-65 with 22 seconds remaining. SLU's Gavin Macaulay had a chance to tie the game after being fouled with nine seconds left, but missed both free throws. Union missed an opportunity to ice the game by missing the front end of a one-and-one, then gave the Saints a good look at a game-winner but Macaulay missed a chance at a redeeming three at the buzzer to allow Union to escape with the win.
 
The Saints led for almost the entirety of the first half as well, leading by as many as five at multiple points in the frame before a brief 5-1 run to end the half got Union back to within one at 35-34 at the break. The visitors took a game-high eight-point lead after a Trey Syroka layup with 15:14 remaining put the Saints up 46-38, but Union stayed in the game thanks to excellent shooting from long range.
 
Union hit 6-of-11 three-pointers (54.5 percent) in the second stanza to finish the game at 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from long range and 43.9 percent (25 of 57) from the field overall. The Union bench helped to get it done on Saturday, outscoring their SLU counterparts by a 40-11 margin to fuel the victory.
 
Union will continue the push for the postseason with two games on the road next weekend, beginning on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against RIT.