COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (December 16, 2023) – Sixteen days after the University of North Alabama earned a home win over Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles exacted their revenge with a come-from-behind 70-67 win over the Lions on Saturday in Cookeville.
The Lions led for over 30 minutes — including 14 of the final 15 — but Tennessee Tech shocked UNA with a late 11-0 run to take the final lead with 57 seconds remaining. This erased a 67-59 lead for UNA over the final four minutes.
Junior forward
Dallas Howell had a career day in the effort, scoring 17 points with nine rebounds to fall one short of a double-double. His previous career-high in scoring was 15 against Alabama State in 2021. Today, he led the team in both categories.
Other leaders for UNA include sophomore guard
Jacari Lane with 10 points, seniors
KJ Johnson and
Damian Forrest with nine points each and graduate forward
Tim Smith Jr. with eight points. Howell and Lane both shot 50 percent from the field, going 7-14 and 5-10, respectively.
The home team was led by David Early with 21 points and Jayvis Harvey with 18 points. Harvey had the go-ahead score in the final minute, while Early's layup made it a three-point game at the final possession.
A key difference in the game came at the free throw line, as Tennessee Tech finished 17-23 for the game. With fewer opportunities, the Lions went 5-7 at the line and had just one attempt in the second half. UNA had more points from the floor and from downtown.
Tennessee Tech improves to 5-7 on the season, while UNA moves to an even 6-6 record.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: The game started with a three-pointer from junior guard
Will Soucie, who made his 50th straight start on Saturday. A 5-0 lead quickly turned in favor of Tennessee Tech after a 12-2 run into the first media break. The Lions ripped the lead back over the next three minutes with a 11-1 run to make it 18-13, and held the lead the rest of the half. The Lions led by as many as seven and took a two-possession lead into the break. Howell had 11 points and six rebounds in the first half alone, putting him four points shy of tying his career high and four rebounds shy of a double-double with 20 minutes remaining.
Second Half: Tennessee Tech came out swinging in the second half, taking a 40-39 lead after trailing by six at the break. After the first media timeout, the Lions got a jolt of energy from junior
Marco Foster with a tie-breaking trey and a layup to keep UNA ahead. This lead lasted up until the final minute, as the Golden Eagles went on an 11-0 run to win the game 70-67. Jayvis Harvey hit the go-ahead layup with 57 seconds to go and David Early added a layup to make it a three-point game. UNA attempted to tie it at the buzzer, but Lane's three-pointer was off the mark.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Tonight's game had seven lead changes, though UNA led for over 25 minutes longer.
- Shooting percentages were nearly identical all-around, as the Lions shot 45.9 percent from the field compared to 45.3 percent for Tennessee Tech. Both teams were also in the 25-30 percent range behind the arc and 70-75 percent from the line.
- TTU went 13-17 at the line in the second half. UNA went 0-1.
- TTU won the boards with a 37-28 advantage.
- The Lions had more points off the bench with 33 compared to just six for Tennessee Tech.
- UNA had a 38-36 edge in paint scoring.
- Both teams had 14 assists on the day. UNA was led by Lane and Johnson with four each.
- Neither team led by double-digits. The largest lead for either team was UNA's 67-59 lead near the end of the game.
- The season series ends in a split with the home team winning both times.
- The all-time series now stands at 2-2. Prior to this year, UNA last played Tennessee Tech over 70 years ago. The season series was also a 1-1 split in the 1950-51 season.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will close the calendar year this coming Thursday, Dec. 21 at Indiana. Tipoff from historic Assembly Hall is set for 7:30 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
