FLORENCE, Ala. (November 6, 2024) – Fresh off an eye-catching win at Air Force on Monday, the University of North Alabama men's basketball team makes its home debut at CB&S Bank Arena on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. against Point University.
 
The home opening matinee will also be UNA's Elementary Day. There are expected to be over 1,900 students from 13 schools in attendance.
 
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and Matt Daniels on the call. The game will also air on WLX Radio with Bryan Neece on commentary. Fans can listen on 98.3 or 103.5 FM in the Shoals or worldwide on the WLX App or website. The "Countdown to Tipoff" show begins at 10:40 a.m.

Season ticket are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or by visiting this link.

Due to ongoing construction, the basketball parking plan will be revised for the 2024-25 season. Lots A and B will be in the parking lot directly below Flowers Hall. Lot A pass holders will have coned off spots near the staircase. Shuttles will be available to take fans up to the field house lot for entry into CB&S Bank Arena.

Lot C parking will be in the parking lot below the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building. Residential Students will have access into Lot C with their hang tags. The public can also park in this lot for $12. Parking at the Bill Jones athletic complex will be unavailable. However, this lot is available as a drop off area near the arena.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Point
Date: Thursday, November 7
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena (Flowers Hall)
Capacity: 3,000
Watch: ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and Matt Daniels)
Radio: WLX - 98.3 and 103.5 FM (Bryan Neece)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
 
NOTES
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions put on a clinic in their season debut, leading wire-to-wire in a dominant 73-57 win over Air Force in Clune Arena. Despite the road environment, the Lions shot over 46 percent from the floor and 15-29 from behind the arc for 51.7 percent. Junior guard Jacari Lane, who was a first team all-conference selection last season, led the way with 24 points. He made each of his first five three-pointers in the first half. UNA led 70-41 with 4:39 remaining before playing out the finish with its bench.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA returns six players from last season to go with nine newcomers. This team is the seventh for UNA since making the move to Division I in 2018. Tony Pujol has been the coach for all seven of those seasons and is coming off the best two-year stretch in the program's Division I history with 33 wins.
 
SCOUTING POINT: The Skyhawks are 0-3 to start the season with losses to Talladega, Ave Maria and Reinhardt. Point plays at the NAIA level as a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference along with teams such as UT Southern, Blue Mountain Christian, Faulkner and Dalton State — who UNA will play later this month. Point has nine returners from last season but are led by junior transfer Antwon Ferrell with 17.3 PPG. Gabe Johnson is the first year head coach for Point after spending last season at Bryan College.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UNA and Point will play each other for the first time ever on Thursday. The Lions will play seven new opponents this season, including five Division I schools. Dalton State later in the month will also be a new opponent for UNA.
 
WHEELS ON THE BUS: The Lions will host an Elementary Day game for the second straight season. Last year, over 1,800 elementary students filled CB&S Bank Arena. UNA defeated Rust College by a 109-65 final to set a new Division I program record for scoring. The Lions have scored over 100 points in a game nine times since moving to Division I in 2018.
 
HOME OPENING MAGIC: Entering Thursday, UNA has won 13 straight home openers dating back to 2010. This includes last season's 93-60 win over Blue Mountain Christian where UNA shot 47.8 percent from both the floor (33-69) and downtown (11-23).
 
HISTORIC SEASON OPENER: As far as true season openers, UNA has opened with a true road game just eight times since 1981. UNA won a true road opener for the first time since then at Air Force on Monday. This does not include neutral site games, as UNA played seven of those since 1981 and won the most recent one in 2014.
 
THE LANE GAME: Jacari Lane shot 9-15 from the floor and 5-6 behind the arc at Air Force on Monday, totaling 24 points. Lane — the only 2024 First Team All-ASUN selection to return to the league this season —has scored double-figures in 25 of his last 33 games and has scored at least 20 points eight times in that span.
 
HOWELL ON EARTH: Fifth-year senior Dallas Howell, who has played in 96 career games for UNA, went 5-8 behind the arc at Air Force on Monday to finish with 17 points. Perhaps the most thrilling of his triples came at the buzzer to end the first half, putting the Lions up 43-22. Howell has had 13 games with double figure scoring since the start of last season.
 
FIRST GAME, SECOND STINT: Senior guard Daniel Ortiz started his career at UNA for two seasons before transferring to UAB last season — helping UAB win the American Championship and appearing as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This offseason, he transferred back to UNA and made his season debut with 12 points at Air Force. He averaged over 14 PPG as a sophomore at UNA in 2022-23.
 
NEWCOMER DEBUTS: Six player made their first appearance in a Lions uniform on Monday. Leading this group was redshirt sophomore forward Corneilous Williams — a transfer from Western Carolina — with eight points and four rebounds. Junior transfer Donte Bacchus — who spent last season at Snead State — added five points and was one of four players to contribute to the 15-29 three-point performance along with Lane, Howell and Ortiz.
 
MONEY IN THE BANK: UNA has a 528-185 all-time record inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall, which is a 74.0 win percentage. At the Division I level, the Lions have a 50-26 record at home and a 26-3 record in non-conference home games. The Lions scored over 1,000 points at home last season while allowing just 922.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.