5th Seeded Koala Men Fall to #4 Union in AAC Tournament

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KINGSPORT, TN - The 5th seeded Columbia College men's basketball team fell 83-57 to 4th seeded Union Commonwealth University (Ky.) in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday morning from the MeadowView Marriott Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.

Senior wing Thomas Whitley led the Koalas with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting with 5 rebounds and a steal while second team all-conference senior guard Tae Burton recorded 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Union got out to a 37-27 lead at halftime before the Koalas began the second half on an 8-0 run and eventually rallied to take the lead 45-44 on a Burton three-pointer with under 15 minutes to play. The rally was a result of a 21-7 Koala run spanning two halves. Union then retook the lead as the teams traded baskets before CC got to within one at 53-52 with 11:30 to go.

Unfortunately, that would be as close as they would get as UC then went on a 14-0 run to go up 67-52 with 7 minutes to play and go on for the quarterfinal win. Union improves to 14-15 overall and will next face top-seeded Pikeville on Friday afternoon.

Second team junior wing Chandler O'Bannon led the team with 8 rebounds along with 8 points, 4 assists and a steal while all-freshmen team forward Zach Smith had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Freshman forward Jamison McKenzie also had six points, six rebounds, and a block. CC shot 37.5% overall and 22.5 % from three while Union shot 49% and 45 percent from three.

The Koalas' second full season under coach Jake Deer resulted in a 13-16 overall record and a winning conference record at 10-9 and the highest conference tournament seed in men's or women's history.