FLORENCE, Ala. (January 31, 2025) – The Lions are halfway through Atlantic Sun Conference play and will begin the February half on Saturday against Central Arkansas at 7:45 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena.
 
The Lions are 14-8 overall and 6-3 in ASUN play — just one game back of first place in the league standings. UNA also rides a seven-game home winning streak at "The Bank" with a 4-0 home record in conference play.
 
This game will be the back-end of a doubleheader with the UNA women's basketball team, as the women host West Georgia at 5:30 p.m. In between the two games, UNA will recognize a pair of UNA Hall of Fame coaches — Bobby Wallace and Mike D. Lane — with a special ceremony. Both legendary coaches will be the field namesakes at Bank Independent Stadium.
 
The game will air on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Matt Daniels and sideline reporter Chase Glover on the call. Bryan Neece will have the local call on WLX Radio — 98.3 and 103.5 FM in the Shoals.

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

Due to ongoing construction, the basketball parking plan has been 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.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Central Arkansas
Date: Saturday, February 1
Time: 7:45 p.m.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena
Capacity: 3,000
Promotions: First Responder's Night / Wallace and Lane Field-Naming Recognition
Game Sponsor: Medical Associates of the Shoals
Watch: ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray, Matt Daniels, Chase Glover)
Radio: WLX 98.3 & 103.5 FM (Bryan Neece)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Game Notes: Click Here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
 
NOTES
 
LAST TIME OUT: Two Atlantic Sun Conference contenders duked it out in North Carolina on Wednesday, as North Alabama battled Queens on the road with hopes of joining the tie atop the conference standings. The Royals had different plans, earning a hard-fought 75-67 win over the Lions in Charlotte. Jacari Lane had a game-high 22 points despite the loss, while Taye Fields scored 14 points with 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Will Soucie and Daniel Ortiz added 10 points apiece.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama is 14-8 overall and 6-3 in ASUN play, tied with Lipscomb and Queens for third place in the league standings after the first half of league play. UNA ranks second in the league with 78.5 PPG and fourth with 71.9 PPG allowed. Junior Jacari Lane leads UNA with 16.5 PPG and has 96 assists over 22 games. Seniors Taye Fields, Daniel Ortiz and Will Soucie are all averaging double figures, while Fields leads the ASUN with 8.9 rebounds per game.  
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Central Arkansas is under new leadership this season with head coach John Shulman, owning a 6-16 overall record and a 2-7 record in ASUN play. Noteworthy wins for the Bears so far include The Citadel, UNC Asheville and West Georgia. The Bears average 71.2 PPG with 76.5 PPG allowed. True freshman Layne Taylor has led the team this season with 17.4 PPG, while Elias Cato averages 15.2 and 5.5 RPG.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UNA owns an all-time record of 9-4 against Central Arkansas. The series began in 1994 with an 80-75 win for the Lions. Of the 13 games, six have come since UNA's move to Division I in 2018. UNA has won three of the last four games, including an 82-78 win in the regular season finale last season.
 
BEAR BEATERS: Three Lions have played Central Arkansas at least four times and are averaging double figures in those meetings. Ortiz is the main threat, averaging 23.0 PPG over four meetings against Central Arkansas with no less than 16 points in each game. Lane is averaging 14.7 PPG against the Bears, while Soucie has played UCA six times with 12.2 PPG.
 
WATCH OUT FOR LANE: Junior guard Jacari Lane was named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch List, an award given to the top mid-major basketball player each season. Lane has also won ASUN Player of the Week four times this season, which is tied for the fifth-most in league history. He is averaging 16.5 PPG and is the only remaining first team All-ASUN selection back in the league this year.
 
MOVING UP THE LIST: On Wednesday, Jacari Lane moved into the top 10 of UNA's all-time career scoring list, jumping three spots to eighth place. Entering Saturday, he is tied with UNA Hall of Famer Doug Key with 1,254 career points. He is less than 100 points away from the Division I school record set by Jamari Blackmon at 1,346 career points — which ranks sixth all-time.
 
WEEKLY AWARD REGULARS: UNA has won the most ASUN Player and Newcomer of the Week awards in the ASUN this season with eight, including two this week thanks to Jacari Lane as Player of the Week and Daniel Ortiz as Newcomer of the Week. Lane has four this season, while Taye Fields has two weekly awards. Ortiz and Corneilous Williams have earned one each.
 
MILESTONE MEN: Three Lions have met milestones this season, including Lane and senior guard Daniel Ortiz scoring their 1,000th career point at UNA. Another rare feat was accomplished against Charleston Southern, as Fields scored his 1,000th career point in his 100th career game. Fields spent three seasons at Division II Missouri Western and earned All-MIAA honors for two seasons. He and Iowa State's Curtis Jones are the only two players to accomplish this feat.
 
FAST TO TEN: Fields has another interesting feat this season, as he currently has the fastest-recorded double-double in the NCAA, according to reports. He reached 11 points and 10 rebounds at the 6:18 mark of the first half against Stetson and finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds. The second fastest is perhaps the best player in the NCAA this season, Auburn's Johni Broome, who reached a double-double at the 5:18 mark against Ohio State.
 
CAREER GUY: Fifth-year senior Will Soucie is the all-time leader in career games for UNA with 138 appearances. He has 992 career points, as he can become the 30th player to reach 1,000 career points at UNA on Saturday if he meets his season average. He is having a career season with 10.5 PPG.
 
FIRE IT UP: Ortiz is not afraid to pull up behind the arc, as he is fifth in the nation with 198 three-point attempts. Not only does he shoot them, but he makes them. Ortiz ranks 12th nationally with 68 made triples for a respectable 34.3 percentage.
 
PROTECTION: UNA ranks 11th in the nation with just 9.6 turnovers per game, while ranking 57th with a plus-2.4 turnover margin. Only 21 teams of 364 in the NCAA turn the ball over less than 10 times per game.
 
BOARD THE HYPE TRAIN: UNA has the top two rebounders in the ASUN, as Fields averages 8.9 rebounds per game and redshirt sophomore Corneilous Williams averages 8.5 RPG. Williams is the only player in the ASUN to grab over 100 rebounds in non-conference play.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70: UNA is 14-2 when scoring at least 70 points and 0-6 when scoring under 70 points. Defensively, the Lions are 12-1 when giving up 70 points or less. UNA is 2-7 when allowing more than 70 points.

MONEY IN THE BANK: UNA has an all-time record of 537-186 at home, including a 59-27 record since making the move to Division I in 2018. The Lions are also 31-4 in non-conference home games under seventh-year head coach Tony Pujol.

ON DECK: Next Wednesday, UNA travels to Austin Peay for a highly anticipated-game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside F&M Bank Arena.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.