SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – KeShaun Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left in regulation to put Drury men's basketball in front, and the Panther defense came up with a stop as time expired to wrap up an 81-80 victory over Union Saturday afternoon at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Thomas, who set a Drury single-game scoring record with 46 points in the Panthers' 2026-27 season opener on Friday, came through with another memorable performance to lift DU to its first win of the season. The sophomore forward finished with 20 points, including the tying and go-ahead free throws, to go along with eight rebounds and a career-best eight assists.
Evan Simon also delivered for the Panthers, as the sophomore transfer came off the bench to bury six of DU's 16 three-point makes en route to a career-best 23-point afternoon. DU's reserves played a pivotal role all afternoon, providing the Panthers with a 38-11 bench scoring advantage, including a collective 9-of-16 shooting performance from three-point range.
Most significant to the Panthers' bid for the win was Thomas' effort in the closing minute, including his drive to the basket that drew a Union foul with DU trailing 80-79 as time was winding down. After going just 3-of-9 from the stripe to start the game, Thomas calmly sank both free throws before Union's last-ditch three-point attempt was off the mark as time expired.
The Panthers (1-1) withstood a second-half comeback by the Bulldogs, who erased a 13-point Drury lead over the final 10 minutes. Union outscored the Panthers 21-7 over a seven-minute stretch to seize an 80-79 lead on Emerson Juhasz's layup with just -over two minutes to play.
Defense dominated down the stretch, with both clubs pitching a shutout from that point until Thomas stepped to the free-throw line for the deciding attempts. Union (2-1) held the Drury offense without a field goal for final 4:51 of play, and the Panthers were nearly as stingy, permitting just two field goals over the same span.
Juhasz sparked a late 8-0 run for Union with a three-point play, and Lucas Sutherland sank a pair of free throws to pull the Bulldogs to within two points. Juhasz converted one of two free-throw tries with 2:59 left on the clock, then put his club on top with his bucket 37 seconds later.
Drury had used a 19-10 second-half run to turn a four-point lead into a 73-59 advantage midway through the period. Thomas (7) combined with Kevin Sargeant (6) for 13 of the Panthers' points during the critical run.
DU's big second-half run followed a red-hot start to the afternoon, as the Panthers used 14 unanswered first-half points by Simon to wipe out a seven-point deficit and seize control of the contest. Simon, who went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, sparked the key scoring run by draining three consecutive triples, helping the Panthers turn a 32-25 deficit into a 39-32 advantage.
DU would extend its lead to as many as 10 points, capping a 19-2 outburst on Simon's sixth three of the afternoon for a 44-34 cushion, before ultimately settling for an eight-point lead at intermission.
The Panthers knocked down 12-of-21 (.571) three-point attempts as a team in the opening stanza, with Simon's 20 points leading the charge. Kanon Gipson buried his only two long-range attempts of the half and Thomas went 2-of-3 and totaled eight points over the opening 20 minutes.
Union enjoyed a fast start to the contest as well, using a 10-0 spurt to build its seven-point cushion. Jack Shackelford converted a layup to start the run and JP Ricks finished it with a three with 6:40 to play in the half. The Bulldogs would shoot .484 (15-of-31) for the period, led by Ricks' 16 points.
Ricks led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, pacing a contingent of four Union players finishing in double figures.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury continues its five-game, season-opening home stand with a 6 p.m., non-conference matchup against Central Bible University Tuesday (Nov. 17) at The O'.
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