FLORENCE, Ala. (January 11, 2024) – Five Lions scored in double figures, as the University of North Alabama men's basketball team shook off the Bellarmine Knights on "Swiftie Night" by a 69-53 final inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall in Florence.
North Alabama trailed 27-23 at the half in a defensive battle, but let the sparks fly in the second half with a 46-26 advantage to win comfortably.
The 53 points are the fewest by a UNA opponent this season and the fewest by a Division I opponent since Alabama A&M was limited to 45 points in 2021.
The win marks UNA's first in Atlantic Sun Conference play, while moving UNA to 7-9 overall and 1-1 in the ASUN. Bellarmine falls to 4-14 overall and 0-3 in the league, unable to shake a seven-game losing streak.
For the second time this season, North Alabama had five players in double figures. The Lions were also two points away from a sixth, as senior forward
Damian Forrest finished with eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds for a near double-double.
Sophomore guard and leading scorer
Jacari Lane finished with a game-high 16 points, while running mate
KJ Johnson facilitated with 12 points and four assists. Over the last three games, Johnson has 11 assists and zero turnovers.
Playing in his 100th career game for UNA, fourth-year guard
Will Soucie chipped in 12 points on a 5-10 shooting night. Starting forwards
Dallas Howell and
Tim Smith Jr. each added 10 points to complete the quinfecta.
Bellarmine was led by Peter Suder with 15 points and seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: The first half was a tight defensive battle controlled by Bellarmine. The Lions had the first field goal of the game with a second-chance triple from Lane, but Bellarmine answered and led by no more than two possessions the rest of the half. Lane and Soucie had eight points each in the first half, while Forrest had four points and seven rebounds.
Second Half: UNA took its first lead in over 20 minutes midway through the second half, as
Tim Smith Jr. hit a three-pointer with 15:17 to go to make it 37-35. The Knights tied it back up, but back-to-back gritty layups by Soucie and Lane extended the lead by the first media timeout. The momentum continued building as the Lions took a 13-2 run into the next media break. UNA led by double digits for the final 6:31 and finished the second half outscoring the Knights 46-26.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Through the first two games of conference play, UNA is outscoring opponents 99-64.
- It was a tale of two halves, as one team shot over 40 percent and the other shot in the low 30s each half. UNA's second half made the biggest difference, going 13-27 for 48.1 percent while Bellarmine went 8-25 for 32 percent.
- The same applies to three-point shooting, as Bellarmine started better at 4-11 compared to just 2-12 for UNA. The Lions went on to finish 5-10 from downtown in the second half, while the Knights dipped to 2-13.
- UNA got to the line early and often, going 20-24 on free throws. Lane, Soucie, Howell and Smith Jr. were all perfect at the line, combining for 13-13.
- The Lions had a distinct 44-23 advantage on the boards, including a 14-3 advantage on the offensive glass.
- UNA scored 19 second chance points, while Bellarmine only had two.
- The Lions allowed just two points on fast breaks.
- Despite winning, UNA led for less time than Bellarmine. The Knights led for over 22 minutes, while UNA controlled the lead for 15:10.
- Tonight's game only had three lead changes.
- UNA had five players score double-figures for the first time since the double-overtime game at UT Martin before Thanksgiving break. Tonight also marks the fifth time UNA has had at least four players score double figures.
- 6 – This is the number of free boneless wings that fans can retrieve at the Buffalo Wild Wings location in Florence after every UNA win with the purchase of six wings. Fans are encouraged to show their ticket or the social media graphic to retrieve the offer.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions wrap up their three-game home stand on Saturday against EKU. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena. Saturday will be a "Gold Out" as UNA fans are encouraged to wear gold in support of the "Shine On, Gold" campaign. For more info,
click here.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
