FLORENCE, Ala. (November 15, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team held its home opener inside CB&S Bank Arena Friday night, celebrating a 71-62 triumph over the South Alabama Jags.
North Alabama (2-1) rung in the home opener with the win, facing South Alabama (1-3) for the first time since the 1984-85 season. The Lions led wire-to-wire to win over the visitors, holding off a South Alabama surge in the third quarter and finishing the win in the late moments. The win also marked UNA head coach Candi Whitaker's first win inside CB&S Bank Arena.
UNA made things difficult early for the Jags, coming out the gates with energy en route to a 20-point opening quarter. The Lions' hit just under 50 percent of their shots in the first half, and the defense stood strong by forcing South Alabama into a 25.9 percent shooting half.
The Jags' offense improved in the third quarter, outscoring North Alabama 23-16 in the frame, but UNA's play in the fourth made all the difference in the home matchup. The duo of senior Charity Gallegos and junior Alyssa Clutter provided key plays and scores with six points apiece in the quarter to lead the win.
North Alabama finished with a solid 40 percent field-goal percentage, but the major contribution for the Lions was from the free-throw line. UNA went 18-21 from the charity stripe, including going 6-6 in the final six minutes of the fourth.
Gallegos and Clutter led the way in scoring, with the former registering 16 points and the latter adding 15. Gallegos added three assists and two steals, while Clutter's seven boards finished second on the team. Junior Cameron Jones followed up her career-high performance against Tennessee Tech with 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Lions. Junior India Howard totaled the most rebounds for UNA with eight and also led in assists with four – a new career high.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UNA 20, USA 8
The Lions brought the energy from the opening tipoff, getting rolling early with an excellent start. UNA converted on over half of its field goals, shooting 53.3 percent (8-15) from the field with two additional threes. The scoring was spread out for North Alabama as seven players score in the period led by five points from senior Charity Gallegos. Along with energy on the offensive end, the defense also made a statement by holding the Jags to 28.6 percent shooting with zero made threes.
SECOND QUARTER: UNA 39, USA 25
The Jags had a better scoring quarter offensively in the second, but the Lions continued to pour on the points en route to the halftime lead. The name of the game was free throws in frame, with both teams combining for 20 shots from the line with 17 of them made. UNA's defense continued rolling, forcing South Alabama into 23.1 percent shooting, but the Jags 10-made free throws made up the bulk of their quarter scoring. North Alabama was not to be denied from the line as well, hitting seven of its eight free throws to head into break with the double-digit lead.
THIRD QUARTER: UNA 55, USA 48
It was more of North Alabama holding the advantage in the third, but South Alabama finally got going to close the gap to single digits. The Jags improved their shooting to 58.8 percent in the period, but the Lions also kept the visitors at bay with timely scores of their own. UNA's Gallegos and Clutter carried the scoring load with five third-quarter points, with contributions from Howard and junior Jazzy Klinge with a combined six points. With the Jags picking up momentum, the Lions were in for a battle the rest of the way heading to the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER: UNA 71, USA 62
Both teams battled in the final period, but timely shots from the UNA offense proved the difference maker in the game. Clutter and Gallegos once again proved clutch in closing time, both scoring six points and making plays down the stretch to clinch the home win. Clutter got the scoring started with four of UNA's first points, and Gallegos iced the game with key shots with time winding down. She scored the Lion's final six points, including her jump shot at the 46 second mark to all but cement the home win. North Alabama held a narrow 65-60 lead with less than two minutes, when the senior caught the ball in rhythm and knocked the shot down. Gallegos would also hit four free throws in the final 40 seconds, securing the home win.
UP NEXT
North Alabama preps for an exciting two-game stretch on Nov. 17 and 19, taking on Big 12 and B1G Conference powerhouses Kansas and Nebraska. The Lions are set for the Nov. 17 matchup at Kansas with opening tip from Allen Fieldhouse at 2 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
