FLORENCE, Ala. (January 31, 2023) – After a thrilling week of back-to-back victories, the University of North Alabama men's basketball team will look for its third in a row Thursday, Feb. 1 against Stetson at home. Opening tip is set for 7:45 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena.
 
The Lions will look for their first three-game win streak of the season this week following a pair of matching 90-84 wins at Kennesaw State and against Queens. Tomorrow concludes the first half of Atlantic Sun Conference play, as UNA currently has a 3-4 record against the league.
 
Thursday will celebrate education on various levels, as UNA student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher GPA will be honored at halftime of the women's game which tips at 5:30 p.m. At halftime of the men's game, UNA will honor two "Most Valuable Professors" with a special presentation for Teacher Appreciation Night. UNA will also celebrate International Night during this time.
 
Premium Seating at CB&S Bank Arena is sold out for the year, but general admission season tickets and single game tickets are still available. For ticket information, contact bbond@una.edu, call 256-765-5466 or visit online at thais link.
 
Parking is available to the general public along the streets of Circular Road and Stewart Avenue, as well as the parking lot in front of Rice and Rivers Hall and the parking garage. Lots A, B and C at the Bill Jones Athletic Complex and below the arena are reserved parking spaces. There is also paid parking below the Science Building off Circular Road.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Stetson
Date: Thursday, February 1
Time: 7:45 p.m.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena
Capacity: 3,000
TV: ESPN+ — Bryan Neece (PxP) and Matt Daniels (Analyst)
Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM — "Voice of the Trash Pandas" Josh Caray
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click here
Game Notes: Click here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
Game Sponsor: First South Farm Credit
Promotions: International Night / Teacher Appreciation Night
 
 
NOTES
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama has a 9-12 overall record and will look to break even for the first half of league play, sitting at 3-4. The Lions are 7-3 at home this season and have a 47-26 record at home in six seasons under Coach Tony Pujol. UNA averages a steady 77.6 PPG with 76.6 PPG allowed. UNA ranks top three in the league in both free throw shooting (75.1 percent) and rebounds per game (37.1).
 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS: Much like North Alabama, Stetson won both of its games last week with a close 83-82 win over Austin Peay and a dominant 80-59 win over Lipscomb. The Hatters are 5-2 in league play, which is tied for second with North Florida. Efficient shooting has been a strength for Stetson this season, ranking atop the ASUN in three-point percentage (37.2) and free-throw percentage (78.1) while ranking second in field goal percentage (46.4). Despite this, Stetson averages 76.8 PPG to rank sixth in the league, but allows just 71.0 PPG to rank second in defense. Jalen Blackmon leads Stetson with 20.6 PPG and ranks sixth in the nation with 453 total points this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Hatters lead the all-time series with an 8-2 record. UNA won the first all-time meeting in 2019 by a 63-62 final. The Lions only have one other win against the Hatters, coming in 2021 by a 73-66 final in overtime. This win was UNA's 500th all-time home victory. Stetson has won the last three meetings, including the last two in Florence.
 
TRIPLE VISION: Last Saturday marked the 49th time UNA has made 10 or more three-point shots in the last six seasons. This includes seven times this season and each of the last two games. Last week, UNA shot 25-47 from downtown for roughly 53 percent.
 
STAY OUT OF HIS LANE: Sophomore guard Jacari Lane leads the Lions with 15.1 PPG this season and leads the ASUN with 89 free throws made on 111 attempts. His 80.2 free throw percentage ranks fourth in the ASUN. Last time out, Lane led the Lions with 27 points. Lane also scored 27 points in the last meeting with Stetson.
 
OH-KAY-JAY: Senior guard KJ Johnson is the reigning ASUN Player of the Week after averaging 25.5 PPG in the two wins over Kennesaw State and Queens. He is the active career points leader for the ASUN with 1,504 points over three years at Lipscomb and two at North Alabama. He also ranks 45th in league history.
 
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: Last time out against Queens, the lead changed 11 times with 10 ties. Neither team possessed a double-digit lead nor went on a scoring run beyond 8-0. Thought tight, UNA led for nearly 28 minutes of game time. Both halves ended in three-point advantages for UNA.
 
HOWELL AT THE MOON: In a close game situation, UNA junior forward Dallas Howell turned on the clutch factor and scored 11 straight points, including a trio of three-pointers, to put UNA in the lead against Queens late in the second half. He finished with 14 points.
 
WINNERS CIRCLE: UNA vs. Stetson represents the only matchup in the league this week between two teams that won both of their games last week. The only other team to accomplish this was EKU, who remains unbeaten with a 7-0 record. EKU makes trips to Queens and Kennesaw State this week.
 
LIFE IN 4K: UNA has four players with over 1,000 career points on its roster, including Johnson, Tim Smith Jr., Marco Foster and Forrest. The latter three each achieved the feat this season, with Forrest doing it the most recently against Morehead State. Stetson's Blackmon is only eight points shy of his 1000th point.
 
CAREER GUYS: Near the start of conference play, UNA had two fourth-year players compete in their 100th career game at UNA. Will Soucie accomplished the feat against Bellarmine, while Detalian Brown did it two days later against EKU. They are just the second and third players to play in 100 games for UNA in the Division I era (since 2018). They join Jamari Blackmon with 113 career games.
 
PUJOL CONTINUES PROGRAM GROWTH: UNA head coach Tony Pujol enters his sixth season at the helm, serving as the first and only coach of UNA's Division I era. Pujol enters tomorrow's bout with 72 wins over six seasons and led UNA to an 18-15 overall record in its first season out of the four-year Division I transition period.
 
ON THE HORIZON: The Lions are home Saturday to close a three-game home stand against FGCU. Opening tip is set for 7:15 p.m. in Florence.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.