FLORENCE, Ala. (February 15, 2024) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team has won six of its last seven games, adding another thrilling victory against Lipscomb on Thursday with a 75-70 win inside CB&S Bank Arena.
This win is an important one for UNA, as the Lions move into a four-way tie for third in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings. The Bisons are also part of that tie with a 7-5 record, as well as Saturday's opponent, Austin Peay. North Florida is the fourth team in the four-way, who UNA beat last Thursday in Jacksonville.
The Lions have won four straight home games and avenged a tight road loss to the Bisons back in January. Sophomore guard
Jacari Lane was a key factor for UNA, scoring 25 points on 10-17 shooting from the floor. Lana also matched a game-high with five assists.
Three others scored in double figures for North Alabama, including senior guard
KJ Johnson with 17 points, senior forward
Damian Forrest with 14 points and graduate forward
Tim Smith Jr. with 11 points. All three players along with
Eoin Nelson will be celebrated on Senior Day this Saturday.
Junior
Dallas Howell led the way with seven rebounds and had just three points — but those three points were at a crucial point in the game. Trailing 59-55 and with momentum working against the Lions, Howell swung the pendulum back in UNA's direction with a three-point basket. This sparked back-to-back threes from Smith and Johnson to give UNA a 64-61 lead with 5:18 remaining.
That lead would be the final one, as the Lions inched away in the final minutes thanks to 11 combined points from Lane and Forrest. The exclamation point came from Forrest with 1:40 to go, as his dunk on a dish from Lane made it 71-65 and sent the crowd into Purple Pandemonium.
Defense was also a big factor for North Alabama, as the Lions limited Lipscomb behind the arc and also stacked up a season-high nine blocks. Smith Jr. had four of the nine, while Forrest and Howell added two apiece. Junior
Jamal Albritton had the other swat. Junior
Will Soucie also had a game-high three steals, while Lane added a pair.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: Both teams made baskets on the opening possession, setting off a back-and-forth affair in the first half with seven ties and five lead changes. In the final 10 minutes of the half, neither team led by more than three points. With under five minutes left in the half, UNA would take the lead on a turnaround jumper by Smith Jr. and hold it through halftime. UNA's Johnson and Lipscomb's A.J. McGinnis had 12 points apiece to lead all players at the break.
Second Half: The Lions opened on an 8-2 run to extend the lead to nine, forcing a Lipscomb timeout. The call paid off, as the Bisons went on an 8-0 run to take back the lead at 47-45. With the crowd silenced and momentum on its side, Lipscomb pulled to a four-point lead at the under-eight media timeout. This would be as large as that lead would get, as the back-to-back-to-back triples from Howell, Smith and Johnson flipped it back to a three-point lead for UNA. In the final three minutes, Lane and Forrest would do all of the scoring for UNA, as Lane iced the game with two free throws in the final 10 seconds to make it 75-70.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- UNA shot 50.8 percent from the field, making 30-59 shot.
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The Lions are now 7-1 when shooting above 50 percent. The one loss came to Lipscomb on the road, where UNA shot over 56 percent.
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Lipscomb shot 43.3 percent and made five more free throws than UNA, but were not as efficient behind the arc. UNA limited Lipscomb to 4-15 for 26.7 percent from downtown.
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Points in the paint were level with both teams scoring 42 points.
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Lipscomb had the slight advantage in rebounding at 33-31.
- UNA totaled a season-high nine blocks while Lipscomb had just one.
- UNA doubled Lipscomb in steals, 8-4.
- The Lions went above their average of five lead changes in ASUN play, as the game finished with 11 ties and seven lead changes.
- Lane now has 21 games with double-digit scoring, including six above 20 points. He's only had five games where he didn't score double figures.
- Lane is also at 106 assists for the season, which is just two away from breaking his own Division I era school record set last season with 108.
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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
The Lions will play their regular season home finale on Saturday against Austin Peay. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. Prior to the game, UNA will honor
KJ Johnson,
Damian Forrest,
Tim Smith Jr. and
Eoin Nelson for Senior Day.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
