KENNESAW, Ga. (January 24, 2024) – The University of North Alabama snapped an 11-game home winning streak for Kennesaw State on Wednesday night, as senior guard
KJ Johnson scored 27 points in a 90-84 victory at the KSU Convocation Center in Georgia.
Tonight marks UNA's first road win in Atlantic Sun Conference play — and it comes at the hands of the defending conference champions. The Owls were 8-0 at home this season before tonight's loss.
UNA is now 6-0 in road games against Kennesaw since moving to Division I in 2018. UNA has also won eight of the last nine games in the series, improving to an 8-3 all-time record against the Owls.
In a game that saw nine lead changes, North Alabama trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half. The Owls once again pulled ahead by 10 in the second half, but the Lions completed a remarkable 14-0 run with 7:45 remaining and held on to a tight lead the rest of the way.
Things got tight in the final minute, as KSU leading scorer Terrell Burden finished with 37 points and scored a layup with 17 seconds remaining to make it 86-84. From there, UNA was able to sink crucial free throws from leading scorers
KJ Johnson and
Jacari Lane to secure the win.
Johnson matched his season-high of 27 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor and 14-15 shooting at the free throw line. Four other players scored in double figures, marking the third time this season this has happened along with the UT Martin and Bellarmine games.
Graduate forward
Tim Smith Jr. had a complete game with 19 points over 29 minutes, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Smith went 7-9 from the floor and 5-7 behind the arc. Junior
Will Soucie and Lane finished with 10 points each. Lane also had six assists.
For the first time in his career, junior forward
Dallas Howell completed a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Howell went 4-9 behind the arc for all of his scoring.
Burden led Kennesaw State with 37 points — the most scored by any individual against UNA this season.
UNA played a consistent game in both halves, shooting 40 percent in both frames while going 12-28 behind the arc for 42.9 percent. This marks the seventh time this season UNA has shot over 40 percent from downtown.
The Lions move up the ASUN standings with a 2-4 record, while KSU drops to 4-2. The Lions are 8-12 overall, while the Owls are now 13-7 with the most overall wins in the conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: Kennesaw State opened with a three-pointer to sit down their crowd in the opening minute, but UNA went on a 7-0 run over the minute-plus to take the lead. KSU did not get the lead back until the 13:35 mark, going up 17-15. The turning point came after UNA tied it back with two free throws, as the Owls went on an 11-0 run before UNA ended a near-five minute scoring drought with back-to-back three-pointers. Howell, who hit the second of those threes, ended the half with another one to make it 43-42 Kennesaw State at the break. Smith Jr. led all scorers in the first half with 11 points.
Second Half: UNA took the lead within seconds to open the second half, but KSU went on an 11-0 run to make it 57-50 with 14:01 remaining. Momentum took a complete shift over the next seven minutes, as the Lions used a 14-0 run to take a 67-63 lead with 7:30 remaining. Soucie,
Eoin Nelson, Smith Jr. and
Damian Forrest were all key in the run, scoring to erase the deficit. UNA never lost the lead after that run, but fought off the scrappy Owls who pulled within two at 86-84 with 23 seconds to go. A swat by
Jamal Albritton and free throws by Lane and Johnson iced the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- For the sixth time this season, UNA made 10 or more shots behind the arc, going 12-28. The other five games include UT Martin (15), Central Arkansas (14), Rust College (14), Blue Mountain (11) and Kansas State (10).
- Johnson now has three of the top four scoring performances for UNA this season, including 27 points each against Kennesaw and UT Martin and 23 in the win over Jacksonville State. Lane has the highest point total this season with 28 against Morehead State.
- Johnson's 14-15 performance at the line marks a new individual single-game high in both free throw makes and attempts this season. Burden went 16-21 for the Owls.
- Over 70 free throws were shot on Wednesday, as UNA finished 28-35 for 80.0 percent, while KSU went 28-39 for 71.8 percent.
- UNA won the rebound battle 43-38 and outscored KSU 15-5 in second chance points.
- The lead changed nine times with four tie scores.
- Both teams had four blocks. Howell was the only player with more than one, finishing with a pair.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA returns home to close the month against Queens. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
