NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 22, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team dropped the first game of a two-game road trip in Tennessee, falling to the Lipscomb Bisons by a 67-53 final on Thursday from Allen Arena in Nashville.
North Alabama moves to 11-16 on the season and 7-7 in the ASUN standings. Lipscomb improves to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in conference play. Both teams are locked into the ASUN postseason tournament.
The Bisons used an all-around effort in the home win, including a 55-38 rebounding advantage, while the Lions were unable to keep pace. Despite the loss, UNA tallied eight blocks defensively to fall one short of a team season-high. This is the fourth game with eight or more blocks this season. UNA also tied a season-high with 15 steals.
Senior Alexis Callins and sophomore Alyssa Clutter led the Lions with 12 points each, while Clutter also led with six rebounds. Senior guard Sara Wohlgemuth had a career-high four steals to tie Callins for a game-high.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: Lipscomb jumped to an early 19-10 lead with 14 rebounds while limiting UNA to 25 percent shooting in the quarter. Graduate forward Allie Craig Cruce scored five first-quarter points to lead the Lions.
SECOND QUARTER: The Bisons went on to shoot 41.2 percent in the second quarter and built upon their rebounding advantage, totaling 30 rebounds at the halfway mark. Despite the scoring from Lipscomb, North Alabama forced the Bisons into seven first-half turnovers, as freshman guard Katie Criswell and Wohlgemuth had two steals. The Bisons led 39-21 at the break.
THIRD QUARTER: The Lions' offense production improved from the first half, matching Lipscomb with 17 points in the third quarter. The Lions went 4-6 at the free throw line in the quarter, while Lipscomb went 3-3 behind the arc. The Bisons led 56-38 with one quarter to go.
FOURTH QUARTER: UNA had their best quarter of the game in the final period, outscoring Lipscomb 15-11. Trailing by as many as 23 at the fourth-quarter media timeout, North Alabama worked the deficit to as low as 10 points within the final two minutes. The Lions went on a 13-0 run after the media break fueled by full court defensive pressure. Lipscomb would remain ahead despite the run.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· 8 – North Alabama finished with eight or more blocks for the second straight game. Sophomore forward India Howard led with three, while Cruce finished with two. Five different Lions registered a block on the night.
· 15 – UNA tied a season-high in steals with 15, a total that they reached against Fisk earlier this season on Dec. 5, 2023. Wohlgemuth and Callins led with four steals each.
· 22 – Continuing with the defensive theme, the Lions forced the Bisons into 22 turnovers, the most by Lipscomb in a game this season. UNA forced eight in the fourth quarter, helping cut a 23-point Lipscomb lead to 10 with less than two minutes to go.
· 18 – The bench provided energy in the scoring department with 18 points. Wohlgemuth led off the bench with eight points, while sophomore guard Rhema Pegues had six and Howard added four.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA Women's Basketball continues the road swing Saturday in Tennessee with a 2 p.m. afternoon matchup against Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
