FLORENCE, Ala. (November 18, 2023) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team suffered a 91-63 loss to Southern Miss on Saturday night at CB&S Bank Arena inside Flowers Hall.

UNA (1-3) got off to a slow start, shooting 22.6 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Lions improved in the second half with a 45.7 percent shooting percentage and an 8-15 showing from three. The Lady Eagles (3-0) had an efficient offense with 57.8 percent shooting while also winning the rebound battle to remain unbeaten.

Senior guard Alexis Callins scored a game-high and season-best 19 points for the Lions, shooting an efficient 7-12 and hitting five of her nine threes. Sophomore guard Rhema Pegues was the next leading scorer for UNA with eight points and contributed a team-high six rebounds, an assist and a block in the all-around performance.

Sophomore forward India Howard and sophomore guard Katie Criswell had their best scoring output of the season so far with six points to round out the night.


HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER: Southern Miss jumped ahead at the opening tip with an early 13-2 run. Scores from Callins and senior guard Emily Jones would get the scoring going for the Lions, but an 8-0 run from Southern Miss extended their lead with four minutes to play. The Lions ended the quarter on a positive note, outscoring the Lady Eagles 8-2 took cut the deficit to 23-12.

SECOND QUARTER: After starting the second quarter exchanging layups, both team's defenses were on display as only five points were scored between the teams leading up to the media timeout. Sophomore guard Alyssa Clutter and Pegues would add on to the scoresheet for North Alabama out of the timeout, but the offense of the Lady Eagles continued to be on full display. Southern Miss outscored North Alabama 12-6 for the remainder of the quarter, shooting 53.3 percent in the quarter to lead 41-21 at the break.

THIRD QUARTER: Both teams came out firing in the third quarter, as six points from the Lady Eagles and four from UNA's Howard began a fast second half. A Clutter layup and Callins three-pointer tacked on five more for the Lions, with UNA starting to get their offense into a rhythm. The Lady Eagles continued to find the basket, responding with a 15-10 scoring stretch. Southern Miss would have their best shooting quarter of the game (76.9 percent), but North Alabama would have their best shooting quarter (42.1 percent) up to this point to finish with 20 points.

FOURTH QUARTER: Another strong start from the Lady Eagles saw them score the first eight points in the quarter before Callins and Pegues answered with eight combined out of the quarter break. UNA shot over 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from three in the final frame to finish with 22 points in the quarter, but the deficit was too great to overcome.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Lion's continue to flash the three-point attack against opponents, making five more threes than the Lady Eagles, 8-3.
• now has the highest point total in a game, so far, finishing with a game-high 19 points for the Lions on 58.3 percent shooting (7-12) and 55.6 percent from three (5-9).Callins
• The Lady Eagles now holds the series advantage over the Lions, gaining their second victory in the series that saw both teams enter with one win.

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