Flex Corneilous
Drew Barton
59
Tennessee Tech TNTech 4-5,0-0 OVC
82
Winner North Ala. UNA 6-4,0-0 ASUN
Tennessee Tech TNTech
4-5,0-0 OVC
59
Final
82
North Ala. UNA
6-4,0-0 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Tennessee Tech TNTech 35 24 59
North Ala. UNA 45 37 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s basketball dominates Tennessee Tech, 82-59

Five Lions score double figures; defense shines in statement win

FLORENCE, Ala. (December 4, 2024) – North Alabama scored on the first possession of Wednesday night's game against Tennessee Tech and never looked back, cruising to an 82-59 win over the Golden Eagles inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence.
 
The Lions (6-4) led wire-to-wire with a dominant performance, growing a 10-point halftime lead into a 23-point victory. Five players scored in double figures, led by fifth-year senior Will Soucie with 16 points on 7-12 shooting. Redshirt sophomore Corneilous Williams notched his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Defensively, the Lions held Tennessee Tech (4-5) to 59 points. This marks the third time in 10 games UNA has limited an opponent to under 60 points. Last season, UNA accomplished this twice all season.
 
Tonight's win tied the school record for largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent. The last time this was accomplished was a 73-50 win over Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 7, 2019.
 
Entering tonight, the Golden Eagles had made at least 10 threes in every game except their most recent game against Vanderbilt. Tonight, TTU went 9-30 and shot 21-55 from the floor.
 
The Lions countered with a stellar shooting day, going 35-72 for a new season-high in made baskets.  
 
UNA's other leaders included junior guard Jacari Lane with 15 points and four assists, matching his season averages. Junior Donte Bacchus added 10 points on 4-5 shooting, while senior Daniel Ortiz had an early heater for 10 points on three triples. Taye Fields was also an impact player with six points, 12 rebounds and three assists. One of the three assists was an alley-oop to Williams.
 
Tennessee Tech had three players in double figures, led by Daniel Egbuniwe with 12 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half: UNA started with a 5-0 lead in the first 47 seconds on a layup by Williams and a trey from Ortiz. A 6-0 run from TTU later on made it 16-15, but that would be as close as it got the rest of the way. Ortiz and Lane each had 10 points in the first half, helping the Lions jump to a double digit lead by the media timeout that carried into halftime.
 
Second Half: Tennessee Tech started 0-6 from the field in the second half and later 1-10, allowing UNA to grow the lead to 55-38 by the second media timeout. UNA went on an 8-0 run to start the frame and cruised the rest of the way. The lead became over 20 point on what was perhaps the play of the game, as Fields lobbed an alley-oop to Williams that made it 72-51 with five minutes to go. Tennessee Tech went 2-13 from behind the arc, unable to chip back into the deficit.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • UNA tied its second-best shooting game of the season, going 48.6 percent. The other time was against UT Martin in an 87-69 win.
  • UNA attempted a season-low for free throws, going 5-7. However, UNA set a new season-high for field goal attempts with 72.
  • UNA won the boards 43-29. This marks a new season-low for any UNA opponent this season.
  • UNA matched its season low with five turnovers while forcing 11.
  • The Lions had 10 fouls, the second fewest this season behind nine against Dalton State. Tennessee Tech had just nine fouls, a season-low for UNA's opponents.
  • The all-time series now favors UNA with a 3-2 record. 
  • 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.
  • 60 – When the Lions score at least 60 points, fans can head to Culver's the next day and earn a free single scoop dish of the "flavor of the day" custard when making an online purchase with the code CUSTARD4LIONS. Only retrievable at the Cloverdale Road location in Florence.
  • 80 - Anytime the Lions score 80 or more points, fans who attended the game can go to Rosie's Cantina in Downtown Florence to get a free cup of queso. Fans must show proof of attendance to retrieve.
 
 
COMING UP NEXT

UNA has a week away from competition, picking back up next Wednesday, Dec. 11 at East Carolina. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT in Greenville, N.C.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 
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