FLORENCE, Ala. (November 21, 2023) – Senior guard Alexis Callins had the game of her career on Tuesday night inside CB&S Bank Arena, scoring 27 points to lead UNA to a come-from-behind 70-63 win over UT Martin in Florence.
Callins — who happens to be from Martin, Tenn. — had 16 points in the first half to lead UNA (2-3) to a 34-27 advantage. The Skyhawks (0-5) flipped the seven-point deficit into a six-point lead in the third quarter, but the Lions showed their resilience and scored 26 points in the final frame.
Tied at 60-60 with 2:28 to go, Alyssa Clutter had the go-ahead layup to flip the lead in favor of UNA once again. The Lions ended the game on an 11-3 run over the final 2:40.
Callins had nine points in the final surge to finish with 27, passing her previous career-high of 21 set in 2021 against Austin Peay. Fellow senior Emily Jones added 15 points, while sophomore Rhema Pegues had nine points and a team-high six rebounds. Another senior, Sara Wohlgemuth, facilitated things with eight assists and five rebounds and helped ice the game with three free throws in the final moments.
A roster of primarily freshmen and sophomores, UT Martin was led by rookie Norah Clark with 15 points, while two others finished in double figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: The Lions struck first with a trio of breakaway layups from Callins. The first two came on steals by Katie Criswell, then another came on a cross court dish from Wohlgemuth. UNA led 6-2 at the first media timeout, but stretched the lead even more in the next five minutes to make it 17-8. Callins finished the opening frame with 11 points, while Wohlgemuth had three assists and three rebounds.
SECOND QUARTER: UT Martin picked up the pace in the second quarter with 19 points, but UNA was able to maintain its pace with another 17-point performance. The Skyhawks got within three at the 5:02 mark, but another triple by Callins made it a two-possession game again. The same scenario happened again at the 2:43 mark with the score 25-22, but the Lions again had an answer with back-to-back triples from Chloe Siegel and Emily Jones. Jones also had free throws to finish with nine points in the half, including seven in the frame.
THIRD QUARTER: The Skyhawks went on an 11-0 run to open the third quarter, taking a 38-34 lead with 6:53 to go. After a called timeout by UNA, Rhema Pegues got the crowd back in it by taking a charge under the basket, then India Howard put in a layup to cut it back to two. The Skyhawks went on to finish with a 23-10 advantage in the quarter, taking a 50-44 lead with 53 percent shooting.
FOURTH QUARTER: Pegues gave the Lions some much-needed momentum to start the fourth quarter, hitting a triple on the first possession to cut it back to three. Callins had a pair of triples after that to tie and set her new career high and make it 54-53 with just over seven minutes remaining. Emily Jones had the go-ahead backet with 5:18 remaining, giving UNA its first lead since the third quarter. After UT Martin got back on top, Alyssa Clutter intercepted an inbound and took it coast to coast to snatch it right back — 59-58 with 3:19 to go. Clutter broke another tie near the two-minute mark with a nice cut to the basket on a pass from Wohlgemuth, making it 62-60. The Lions never looked back, holding the edge the rest of the way. Wohlgemuth, who impacted the game in a number of ways, finally got on the board with three freebies to ice the game. The Lions outscored the Skyhawks 26-13 in the final frame.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· 41.5% - UNA's field goal percentage compared to the 39.7% that UT Martin finished with. The Skyhawks finished with one more field goal made (23-22), but the efficiency of the Lion offense proved the difference-maker.
· 7 – The amount of three-pointers made by North Alabama, just under their second-ranked ASUN average of 8.2 per game. This marks the fourth time that UNA has finished with more threes than its opponent in five games.
· 48 – The combined number of points in the paint and fast-break points by North Alabama. UNA had a 30-28 advantage in the paint and an 18-13 advantage on breakaways.
· 19 – The number of free-throws knocked down by UNA, finishing the game 19-25 from the line. The 76 percent free throw shooting matches their ASUN-leading average of the same total, continuing the trend of the Lions being dependable at the line.
· 15.6 – The points per game average for Alexis Callins post-UT Martin. Callins' PPG average now ranks fourth in the ASUN, with her 78 total points also checking in at fourth in the conference.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will have an extended break for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 26 at UTEP. The opening tip is set for 3 p.m. in El Paso, Texas.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
