BRISTOL, Tenn. - Second-seeded Union College overcame a seven-point, halftime deficit to upend No. 1 seed King (Tenn.) College 71-61 Saturday to win the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship for a second year in a row.

Junior Susanna Todd (Eubank, Ky.) set the program record for most 3-pointers in a season as she made 3-of-5 to give her 69 on the year as she led Union with 16 points. Senior Allison Fowler (Morganfield, Ky.) followed with 15 points.

Fowler finished the tournament having scored 65 points, earning her Tournament MVP honors. Joining her on the All-Tournament Team were Brooke Smith (Pineville, Ky.) and Carley Blankenship (Lexington, Ky.), who scored 14 points apiece in the title game.

Ashley Lunsford (Orlando, Ky.) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go with her nine points.

Union (25-8 overall) now moves on the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament, which will be held March 12-18 in Sioux City, Iowa. The pairings will be announced later next week.

Down 40-33 at the half, Union used a 9-0 run to grab a 42-40 advantage with 16:42 to play. Todd accounted for five points with Fowler taking care of the other four. Beth Raby hit a pair of free throws to pull King (21-11 overall) even at 42-all with 16:20 remaining, but Todd hit a 3-pointer and Fowler followed with a bucket to put Union up 47-42 at the 15:24 mark.

Although Union never lost the lead, the game remained close for much of the second half. A Kayla Olson bucket pulled King within 55-54 with 6:05 to play. Union then began to pull away, eventually taking a 64-57 advantage with 33 seconds to play.

In the closing seconds, King attempted to mount a comeback but got no closer than six points as Union hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the 71-61 victory.

Amanda Holmes paced King with 12 points, while Kayla Olson chipped in 10.

Union, the 25th-ranked team in the NAIA, really clamped down on defense in the second half. King shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28 shots) in the first half but was limited to 20.8 percent (5-of-24 shots) during the final 20 minutes. King finished the game making 42.3 percent (22-of-52 shots) from the field.

Meanwhile, Union hit 54.5 percent (12-of-22 shots) in the second half after connecting on only 39.3 percent (11-of-28 shots). Union ended the game making 46 percent (23-of-50 shots) from the field and 8-of-16 from 3-point range.

In the first half, Union was up 20-18 with 9:57 on the clock before King used an 11-0 rally to grab a 29-20 lead with 6:06 to play. King led by as much as 40-29, but Union scored the final four points of the half to make it a seven-point game at the break.

Lady Bulldog Notes

• Union is now 3-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game, having also won the tournament title in 2003 and 2007.
• The Lady Bulldogs are the first program in school history to make a third trip to a NAIA Championship Tournament. The Union women's soccer program has gone twice.
• The win was only the third for Union when it trails at the half. Union is now 3-6 on the season when trailing at the break.
• Union is now 3-3 in games on a neutral court with all three wins coming the AAC Tournament.