RICHMOND, Ky. (January 20, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team wrapped up their two-game road trip in Kentucky on Saturday with a 67-58 defeat against the EKU Colonels in Richmond.
A defensive battle from the start, the game started low-scoring in the first half with the Colonels holding a 30-27 lead. EKU started the second half strong and took a double-digit lead into the final frame. UNA scored 20 points in the final quarter to cut the lead to seven in the final minute, but EKU held on to remain unbeaten at home with an 8-0 record.
North Alabama splits the Kentucky road trip after winning at Bellarmine on Thursday, moving to 6-12 overall and 2-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. EKU improved to 14-5 overall and 3-2 in the ASUN.
Senior guard Alexis Callins and sophomore guard Rhema Pegues both finished in double figures for the Lions, tallying 15 and 12 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: The first quarter started slow with 13 combined points, as graduate forward Allie Craig Cruce,, freshman guard Veronaye Charlton and Callins all got on the board early. Both offenses picked up the pace after the media break, as the Colonels ended the first with a 16-15 lead. The defense of the Lions held the EKU offense to 33.3 percent shooting in the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER: Two quick scores from Charlton and Pegues helped reclaim the lead for UNA, but defense continued to be the theme in the second quarter. The Lions held the Colonels to 33.3 percent from the floor once again, making things tough for the hosts and the ASUN's leading scorer, Antwainette Walker. who was held scoreless in the half. Despite the defensive efforts, UNA was limited to 28.6 percent shooting in the quarter, and the Colonels maintained their lead, 30-27, at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER: EKU out-scored North Alabama 19-11 in the third, proving to be the turning factor of the game. The defense of UNA held the hosts to relatively low shooting (35 percent), but shots could not fall for the Lions despite quality looks. EKU took a 49-38 advantage into the final period of play.
FOURTH QUARTER: The Lions showed fight in the final period with their best shooting percentage of any quarter at 58.3 percent. This produced 20 points – the most in any quarter for either team. North Alabama used a late 9-2 run to come within seven of the EKU lead with 51 seconds remaining, but the Colonels would finish with a 67-58 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· 23 – The Lions' defense forced 23 turnovers against the Colonels. Among the turnovers were 10 steals, with Charlton and Clutter leading the way with three each.
· 53.8 – Despite the result, UNA saved their best effort for the final quarter with a 53.8 shooting percentage. The offense hit 7-13 shots in the quarter with two threes, sparking a late surge to cut the deficit from 16 to seven.
· 20 – Alexis Callins continues to tally up the point total as she moves closer to approaching the 1,000-point mark. Callins finished as the team's leading scorer with 15 points, needing only 20 to reach 1,000.
· 36% – Continuing with the defensive theme, North Alabama made it a tough shooting night for EKU. The Colonels finished shooting 36 percent from the floor while also going 20 percent from three. UNA also held the leading scorer in the ASUN, Antwainette Walker, to her second-lowest scoring total of the season with eight points, going just 2-8 from the field.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA returns to Florence on Wednesday, Jan. 24, for a midweek matchup against the visiting Kennesaw State Owls. Tipoff from CB&S Bank Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
