LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 18, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team kicked off a two-game road trip in Kentucky with a thrilling 91-90 overtime victory over the Bellarmine Knights in Louisville, as sophomore Alyssa Clutter had the game-winning basket with five seconds remaining.
In a game that had 14 lead changes, UNA tied the game with 40 seconds to go on a layup from sophomore Rhema Pegues and made one final stop to force overtime. Clutter had the first four points for UNA in the extra period, but Bellarmine took a late 90-89 lead with 11 seconds to go. Enter Clutter, who took the inbound coast-to-coast and made the go-ahead layup. The final possession resulted in a turnover by Bellarmine, allowing UNA to steal the road victory.
North Alabama gained their first Atlantic Sun Conference win on the road, improving to 6-11 overall and 2-2 in the ASUN. Bellarmine falls to 5-11 while still in search of their first ASUN win.
The Lions started quickly in the matchup, but Bellarmine responded just as fast en route to a 26-point first quarter. Both teams shot well in the second, but 25 points from the Lions on 56.3 percent shooting closed the gap — the Knights still leading 46-41. Defense stymied Bellarmine with just nine points in the third quarter, allowing a 59-55 lead for the Lions.
Both teams exchange game-winning opportunities in the final period of regulation, but both fell short as the game went into overtime. In the back-and-forth affair, a late go-ahead three-pointer from junior guard Olivia Jones and the ultimate go-ahead from Clutter sealed the deal.
Clutter had one of the best games of her UNA career, finishing with career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (11), while leading the team in assists with four and steals with five.
Four players finished in double figures for North Alabama, led by Clutter, graduate forward Allie Craig Cruce (17), freshman guard Katie Criswell (13) and Pegues (12).
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: The Lions jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to begin the game. Senior guard Alexis Callins, Clutter and freshman guard Veronaye Charlton got thing started with two points each before a 9-2 run by Bellarmine forced the first lead change. Later tied at 13-13, the Knights used a 6-0 run to reclaim their lead. Senior guard Sara Wohlgemuth's free throw with 3:20 left ended the Bellarmine run, but the Knight's quarter-ending 7-2 run cemented a 26-16 first quarter.
SECOND QUARTER: The Lions closed the gap with a strong second quarter, finishing the frame with a 25-20 advantage to make it a five point game at the break. Both teams shot over 50 percent, including 56.3 percent for the Lions. UNA got within two of the Bellarmine lead on three occasions, but a late three points gave the Knights a five-point advantage with two quarters to play. UNA's bench played a significant role in the second, scoring 17 points to account for more than half of UNA's points in the quarter.
THIRD QUARTER: Quarter three was all about defense for the Lions. North Alabama held the Knights to nine points on 4-18 shooting (22.2 percent) en route to its first lead since the first quarter. Exchanging scores to start, Wohlgemuth' three at 7:01 sparked a 9-0 run for the Lions. Two layups from the Knights ended a scoring drought, but UNA continued to apply pressure from the offensive end. North Alabama outscored the Knights 7-3 to end the quarter, leading 59-55.
FOURTH QUARTER: Holding onto a slim lead, the Lions continued to fend off the Knights in the competitive affair. The teams traded baskets up until the midway point, until a big 6-0 run from Bellarmine cut the UNA lead to one. Both teams remained even with the game winding down, coming down to the final possessions of the quarter. The Knights gained a late two-point lead with over a minute to play, but Pegues stepped up with a clutch layup to respond within 40 seconds left. Both teams' go-ahead attempts at the end of regulation fell short, sending the contest into overtime.
OVERTIME: In the second overtime game of the season for UNA, Clutter got things started with an opening and-one layup off a Bellarmine steal. The Knights scored four-straight to retake the lead, but UNA answered back with scores from Criswell and Clutter. Cruce and Criswell added four more points late in the game, but two clutch shots from Jones and Clutter proved the difference-makers in the period. Jones hit a running floater from downtown to give UNA a three-point lead with 32 seconds left. The Knights scored two late game layups for the late advantage, but with time winding down, Clutter would go coast-to-coast for the go-ahead layup with five seconds remaining. Tenacious defense from the Lions prevented the Knights from getting a game-winning attempt, sealing the 91-90 win for UNA in overtime.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- 23/11 – Clutter finished with a career-high in points and rebounds against the Knights. She scored 23 points on 71.4 percent shooting and added a career-high 11 rebounds with four assists and five steals. The assists and steals both fell one shy of her season-highs.
- 4 – The number of players who scored in double figures for the Lions. Clutter led with 23, while Cruce, Criswell and Pegues finished with 17, 13 and 12, respectively. Also, four is the number of statistical categories that Clutter led in, registering team-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
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25 – Third in the ASUN in bench points per game (22.9), UNA had 25 points off the bench against Bellarmine. Pegues led off the bench with 12 points, while Wohlgemuth (7), Olivia Jones (4) and senior guard Emily Jones (2) all contributed.
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12 – The Lions had their paws all over the rock on the defensive side, finishing with 12 steals in the contest. This marked the most steals since totaling 13 against UT Martin on Nov. 21.
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36 – The number of made field goals by UNA, setting a new season-high. Clutter went 10-14 from the field to lead those efforts, while Pegues and Criswell had six each.
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62 – UNA finished with a 62-50 advantage in paint scoring despite losing the rebound battle.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA continues its Kentucky road stint Saturday, Jan. 20, against the EKU Colonels in ASUN play. Tipoff from Baptist Health Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
