FLORENCE, Ala. (February 3, 2024) – A miss at the buzzer sent the University of North Alabama fans home happy on Saturday, as the Lions edged Florida Gulf Coast University by a 70-69 final in men's basketball action inside CB&S Bank Arena.
In a battle of teams tied in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with even 4-4 records, the Lions emerged victorious thanks to a go-ahead free throw by leading scorer
Jacari Lane with 1.6 seconds remaining. FGCU got an opportunity to tie it with one tick on the clock, drawing a one-and-one foul. The free throw missed and the ensuing putback rolled off the glass and rim, sending the North Alabama crowd into a frenzy.
The Lions ride a four-game win streak for the first time this season, overcoming a 1-4 start in ASUN play to now sit 5-4 in a tie with Lipscomb for fourth place. FGCU falls into a five-way tie for sixth place at 4-5. UNA is also one game away from evening its overall record at 11-12, while FGCU falls to 10-14.
Tonight's game had nine ties and 12 lead changes — the most in a conference contest for UNA this season.
Lane finished with a game-high 21 points, totaling double figures for the 14th straight game. Three others joined the sophomore in double-figures, including senior runningmate
KJ Johnson with 17 points — nine in the first half, eight in the second half and six in the final three minutes.
Junior
Will Soucie added 15 points for a new season-high, going 7-9 from the floor. Senior forward
Damian Forrest added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Nine players collected at least one board for UNA.
Isaiah Thompson and Zach Anderson combined for 34 points to lead FGCU.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: The first half was tight and low-scoring, as the lead changed eight times in the opening half. Lane got things started with a three-pointer, but neither team would hit another triple until the 7:50 mark. FGCU led 6-5 through the first 10 minutes, then the scoring began to pick up, and the lead changed hands multiple times with UNA going up 28-25 at the break. Johnson went on a personal 7-0 run in the final 2:15 to flip the lead. He finished with nine points at the break, while Soucie added eight.
Second Half: UNA picked up the pace in the second half, using a 7-0 run to take a 43-34 lead at the first media timeout of the final frame. This run continued into a double-digit lead for the Lions, ending at 13-2 for an 11-point lead. Both teams went on droughts midway through the second half, but FGCU caught a second wind and took the lead with under eight minutes to go on back-to-back threes from point guard Isaiah Thompson. This set up a back-and-forth finish, mainly controlled by the Eagles, but last controlled by the Lions. FGCU took a 65-59 lead into the final three minutes, but back-to-back layups by Lane and two free throws by Johnson tied it back at 65-65. Johnson went on to make four more free throws to answer a score by FGCU's Zach Anderson. The Eagles tied it back up at 69-69 in the final nine seconds, but Lane got fouled with 1.6 seconds to go and made one of two free throws. A timeout allowed FGCU to inbound with a chance to catch and shoot, but a foul call on the reception sent FGCU to the line for the one-and-one. Anderson's tying free throw missed and a putback by Keeshawn Kellman was well-defended by UNA and missed off the backboard and rim as UNA held on 70-69.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- UNA is now 4-0 at home all-time against FGCU, leading the overall series with an 8-5 record.
- The last time UNA had 12 lead changes in a game was against UT Martin in overtime on Nov. 22, 2023. The season-high for lead changes was 13 in a 61-59 win over Jacksonville State a few days prior to that back on Nov. 18.
- UNA went from shooting 12-31 for 38.7 percent in the first half to an impressive 16-24 in the second half for 66.6 percent. This put the Lions over 50 percent for the night at 28-55 for 50.9 percent.
- FGCU had a similar shooting night, going 28-59 for 47.5 percent paced by a 17-30 second half.
- The two sides combined for just nine three-pointers, including five by the Eagles and four by the Lions. FGCU's Isaiah Thompson made three and was the only player with multiple on either team.
- UNA went 10-13 at the line, while FGCU went 8-15. Johnson was a perfect 6-6 and made all of his in the final three minutes of the game.
- The Lions had a distinct advantage in assists with 10, while FGCU only had three. Lane had six on the night, marking his ninth game this season with at least five.
- UNA outscored FGCU 46-40 in the paint.
- FGCU won the boards 36-27.
- 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 spend next week in Jacksonville, starting with a matchup against North Florida on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. The Lions will end the trip at Jacksonville University on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
