FLORENCE, Ala. (December 21, 2023) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team fell to the visiting Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Thursday night by a 78-67 final inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence.
Both teams came out of the gates firing in the first quarter, scoring a combined 47 points in the opening period. North Alabama led by four at halftime with 63.6 shooting in the frame. From there, Tennessee Tech won the third and fourth quarters to surge ahead in the second half.
UNA moves to 4-8 on the season, while Tennessee Tech improves to 5-6 overall and 2-0 in the all-time series with the Lions.
Freshman guard Veronaye Charlton led all scorers with 25 points, setting a new career-high. Her previous high was set on Nov. 26 at UTEP with 21 points. She also tallied four rebounds, four assists and three steals with just two turnovers. Charlton shot an efficient 8-15 from the field for 53.3 percent and went perfect from the three-point line (2-2) and free throw line (7-7).
The Lions also had two additional double-digit scorers with senior guard Alexis Callins and graduate forward Allie Craig Cruce finishing with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Tonight marked the home debut for Cruce, who joined the team prior to UNA's Dec. 9 game at Chattanooga. Cruce is a former Lauderdale County High School standout from Killen, Ala. and is a graduate transfer from Alabama, spending four seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Sophomore guard Alyssa Clutter had an all-around performance, playing all 40 minutes with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: The visitors wasted no time scoring-wise, with the Golden Eagles opening the quarter with a three-pointer ten seconds in. Freshman guard Katie Criswell would get the Lions on the board with her layup off an assist from Clutter two possessions later. The teams traded baskets early and often in the first five minutes of the quarter, with contributions on the UNA side of the scoreboard by Charlton and Callins. The Lions shot 56.3 percent from the floor in the first period, but the Golden Eagles took a 25-22 lead.
SECOND QUARTER: North Alabama was able to swing momentum to start the second, starting with quick threes from Charlton and Cruce. A layup from Clutter made it an 8-0 run to take a 30-25 lead less than two minutes in. Tennessee Tech got on the board with a jumper after almost three minutes, but North Alabama came right back with two points each from Cruce and Charlton. Another back and forth affair like the first period, seven points were scored by each team with less than two minutes to play. UNA still on top 41-34, the Golden Eagles were able to go on a 5-0 run to cut the Lions lead to two. Charlton's two free throws at the 50 second mark gave North Alabama a 43-39 lead heading into halftime. UNA would have its highest shooting quarter in the period, finishing 7-11 from the field on 63.6 percent shooting, 3-5 from three and 4-4 from the charity stripe.
THIRD QUARTER: Unlike the first half, the defenses shined in the third quarter as neither team scored until the 7:17 mark. After a few free throws were traded, a run from the visitors gave Tennessee Tech a 49-45 lead into the media timeout. Tennessee Tech later took a 57-52 lead after scoring three of the last four points in the quarter and outscoring North Alabama 18-9 in the period.
FOURTH QUARTER: A free throw by Callins and a three-pointer from Charlton opened the scoring for UNA in a comeback attempt, with Charlton setting a new career high with her score. North Alabama found momentum with a 6-0 run with 5:56 left to cut the Tennessee Tech's lead to one, but the Golden Eagles responded with their own 6-0 run to pause the comeback. Tennessee Tech continued to extend their lead, pushing it to double digits in the final four minutes of the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· 56.5% – The Lions had their best opening shooting quarter so far this season, shooting 56.5 percent from the field to open the fast-starting affair. UNA hit 9-16 shots, including one three and hit all four free throws to keep up with the Golden Eagles in the quarter.
· 63.64% – Down three after the first quarter, North Alabama improved on the already impressive first quarter with a 21-point second quarter to take its first lead of the first half. The Lions shot an efficient 7-11 from the field, 3-5 from deep and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe to outscore Tennessee Tech 21-14 and head into halftime with the 43-39 lead.
· 25 – Veronaye Charlton continues to improve in her first year of collegiate basketball, setting a new career high in points with 25. The Nassau, Bahamas native led all scorers with the point total, going 8-15 from the floor with two threes and seven made free throws. She went perfect from behind the arc and from the line.
· 36 – Even though the Lions are known for their three-point shooting, they also can get into the paint when needed. North Alabama finished with 36 points in the area — eight more than the opposition. This marked the second time UNA finished with 36 paint points after accomplishing the feat against Denver on Nov. 10.
· 10 – Allie Craig Cruce made her home debut for North Alabama after initially playing her first games for UNA on the road against Chattanooga and Arkansas State. The Lauderdale County standout finished with 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 25 minutes of action in her CB&S Bank Arena debut.
COMING UP NEXT
North Alabama hits the road one final time in non-conference play, facing off against the Auburn Tigers on New Year's Eve at 2 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
