FLORENCE, Ala. (January 24, 2024) – Senior guard Alexis Callins scored her 1000th career point on Wednesday, as the University of North Alabama women's basketball team defeated the Kennesaw State Owls inside CB&S Bank Arena, 79-60.
This marked UNA's third conference win of the season and the second at home. Both offenses started slow, but UNA picked up the offensive production as the game went along. A five-point lead in the first quarter and a 10-point halftime lead turned into as much as 30 thanks to a 23-point third quarter. UNA outscored KSU 44-33 in the second half.
The offensive explosion in the second half was culminated by Callins, who scored her 1,000th career point at UNA with a three midway through the final quarter. Eight different players scored for UNA while four reached double figures in a convincing win.
North Alabama improved its record to 7-12 overall with a 3-3 ASUN record, while the Owls dropped to 8-11 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
Callins led in scoring with 20 points. Freshman guard Veronaye Charlton (14), sophomore guard Alyssa Clutter (13) and sophomore guard Rhema Pegues (10) also contributed double-digit scoring totals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: A defensive struggle from the jump, both teams got started slow on the offensive end. The Lions and Owls combined for 6-15 to start from the field, but UNA led 9-8 at the media timeout. Two scores from sophomore forward India Howard with one from senior guard Sara Wohlgemuth extended the Lions' lead as the UNA defense continued to hold strong. North Alabama limited the Owls to 23.5 shooting in the quarter as the Lions led, 15-10
SECOND QUARTER: The second quarter saw more offensive production from both teams, but UNA continued to maintain their lead through the first half. The Lions shot 44.4 percent from the field, as Charlton led the way with eight second-quarter points. The Owls improved their field goal percentage from the first quarter (23.5 to 41.2 percent), but the defense brought consistent pressure to make tough on the visitors. North Alabama forced seven turnovers in quarter number two, bringing the Owls total to 11 in the first half. UNA doubled their lead heading into the half, 35-25.
THIRD QUARTER: The Purple & Gold defense continued to be the focus coming out of the break, limiting the shooting efficiency of the Owls. UNA held KSU to 33.3 percent, while the offense thrived with 57.1 percent shooting over the first five minutes. With a 46-32 lead halfway through, the Lions' shooting continued to be a strength with North Alabama outscoring Kennesaw State 23-11 in the third quarter on 53.8 percent shooting. With six different scorers in the period, UNA went into the fourth with a 22-point lead at 58-36.
FOURTH QUARTER: The shots kept falling for the Lions in the fourth quarter, starting 5-6 from the field and eventually leading by as many as 30 points. In what would be the eventual highlight of the game, Callins made history with her three at the 3:59 mark, hitting the 1,000 milestone. With another 53.8 percent shooting quarter, the Lions' offense fired on all cylinders, leading the way to a 79-60 home win from Florence.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· 1,000 – A four-year mainstay, Callins is the first player to score 1,000 career points all in the Division I era. She also becomes the 18th player in UNA Women's Basketball history to achieve this milestone. The all-time leader in scoring at UNA is Ivy Wallen, who scored 1,762 points over four seasons — two at the Division II level and two at the Division I level.
· 94% – UNA finished tied for its second-highest free-throw percentage in a game this season, shooting 93.8 percent from the charity stripe. The Lions hit 15-16 shots from the line, with Charlton, Callins, junior guard Olivia Jones and graduate forward Allie Craig Cruce all finishing perfect. The season-high remains 100 percent against Samford on Dec. 19.
· 14/9 – Charlton finished with a near double-double, scoring 14 points on 4-7 shooting and a perfect 6-6 on free throws. She also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to lead all players.
· 17 – On top of UNA forcing the Owls to shoot 38.7 percent from the field, North Alabama forced 17 KSU turnovers with six steals and four blocks.
· 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
UNA Women's Basketball will return to the road Saturday, Jan. 27, with a weekend contest against the Queens Royals in Charlotte, N.C. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. CT for fans following in the Shoals.
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