FLORENCE – Bellarmine grabbed a 17-point lead at the end of the third quarter, then held off a North Alabama rally in the final period to secure an 80-70 road win over the Lions Tuesday afternoon at Flowers Hall. With the loss, UNA falls to 7-16 overall and holds on to fifth place in the ASUN Conference standings with a 6-8 league record.
After the two teams battled to a 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter, Bellarmine opened the second quarter on a 15-4 run to take a double-digit lead. UNA closed the gap to five down the stretch before a three-point basket in the final minute of play gave the Knights a 36-28 lead at the half.
The closing minutes of the third quarter proved to be disastrous for the Lions. After a putback by Sakyia White made the score 48-42 at the 3:02 mark, Bellarmine took control with an 11-0 run. The Knights converted four straight UNA turnovers into points, getting a basket with 29 seconds remaining to take a 59-42 lead.
Olivia Noah connected from three-point range at the buzzer to make it a 14-point game heading into the final period.
A 10-2 UNA run to start the fourth quarter cut the deficit to single digits. Consecutive baskets by Noah made the score 61-55 with 7:18 remaining. Bellarmine answered with four straight points before Jaida Bond found White under the goal for a transition basket to make it an eight-point game.
The Lions forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, but missed from three-point range. Bellarmine then connected from long range to stretch the lead to 68-57 at the 5:50 mark.
UNA got within nine three more times but could get no closer. The Knights were 18-of-22 from the free throw line, including 14-of-16 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Noah led all scorers with 22 points on the day. White added 20 points while Jaila Roberts rounded out the top scorers for UNA with 12 points.
North Alabama will play two games at Bellarmine next weekend to close out the regular season. Tip-off times are set for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Allen Arena on the LU campus in Nashville.
