BIRMINGHAM (December 6, 2025) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team preps for a Sunday afternoon bout in Birmingham, Ala. to face the Samford Bulldogs at 3 p.m.
North Alabama begins a stretch of four games on the road, starting against Samford in an in-state matchup. The Lions look to claim their first road victory of the season with four games left on the non-conference slate.
UNA faces the Bulldogs in the Pete Hanna Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided through StatBroadcast.
Tickets are available for purchase through the Samford ticket office. The game will serve as a basketball doubleheader, with Samford's men's basketball team playing Cornell at 6 p.m. following UNA's game.
Fans can also tune in to Roar Lions Productions to catch Grant Wakefield on the call. The countdown to tipoff show begins at 2:40 p.m.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Women's Basketball social media pages.
GAME INFO
Game: North Alabama at Samford
Date: Sunday, December 7
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Venue: Pete Hanna Center
Tickets: Click Here
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Roar Lions Productions (Grant Wakefield)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Social Media: @UNAwbb
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama had a five-game home winning streak snapped this past Monday, falling to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 50-48, in CB&S Bank Arena. The defensive battle went down to the wire, with the Lady Lions sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer to land the road win.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: The 4-3 Lions head into the weekend seventh in the overall Atlantic Sun Conference standings. UNA shoots 38.5 percent from the field while holding opponents to 34 percent shooting. UNA holds slight advantages in three-point shooting percentage (.243 to .241), rebounds (298-281), steals (59-58) and blocks (27-20). North Alabama's strength lies in assists, leading 94-57 in the category. UNA is pacing teams in offensive rebounding with a 99-81 advantage this season. The Lions have strong starts to open games, outscoring teams 112-99 in the first quarter. UNA are stronger in the third quarter with a 122-90 advantage in scoring.
SCOUTING SAMFORD: The Bulldogs head into the weekend at 4-7 overall on the season. Last time out for Samford resulted in an 82-60 road defeat to Tennessee Tech on Dec. 4. The Bulldogs are coming off a 2024-25 season in which Samford went 12-19 overall with a 7-7 record in the Southern Conference. Briana Rivera leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 13.3 points per game — good for fourth in the SoCon. Samford is led by first-year head coach Matt Wise.
SERIES HISTORY: The two teams meet for the sixth time in the all-time series with Samford leading 4-1. The Bulldogs defeated the Lions in a 67-61 overtime win on Dec. 5, 2024. North Alabama's lone win came in a 69-64 road victory on Dec. 19, 2023.
AMONG THE RANKS: North Alabama ranks in the top three in ASUN statistics in six categories. The Lions lead the conference in total rebounds (42.6 per game) and offensive rebounds (14.1). They are second in opponent three-point percentage (24.1 percent) and opponent field-goal percentage (34 percent). UNA is third in blocked shots (3.86 per game) and steals (8.43 per game).
RIGHT UP HER ALLEY: Senior Alexsandra Alvarado leads the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting. She is UNA's current three-pointers made leader with 14 at a 35 percent clip. She is tied for sixth in the ASUN in three-pointers made per game (two per game) and tied for 17th in the ASUN in scoring average. Defensively, Alvarado is tied for sixth in steals per game (1.9).
SOFIA SHINES: Sophomore Sofia Ceppellotti is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game. She leads the team in field-goal percentage (53.6 percent) and three-point percentage (42.9 percent) while second in rebounds (5.0 per game) and made three pointers (six). She had a career day against Fisk, scoring a career-high 16 points with a game-high seven rebounds.
MCNAMARA MAKES WAVES: Junior Cameron McNamara is third in scoring and field-goal percentage at 10.1 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting. She is also third in rebounds with 32 for a 4.6 average.
GABBY GETS IT!: Freshman Gabby Jackson is the team leader in rebounds with 43 for a 6.1 average. She has had at least four rebounds in all but one game with a season-high 13 at Tennessee State on Nov. 19. The Kansas City, Mo. native is tied for 12th in the ASUN in rebounds per game.
BIG ON BUKKY: Graduate Bukky Akinsola has shown veteran leadership in multiple parts of the game. Averaging 6.7 points per game, Akinsola has made her mark in the playmaking and defense category. She has the team-high in total assists (20) while second in steals (11). Akinsola is tied for ninth in the ASUN in steals per game (1.6) and 15th in assists per game (2.9).
NO EASY BUCKETS: North Alabama has three players ranked in the top 25 in blocked shots. Senior India Howard and junior Katie Criswell are tied for the team lead with six blocks, putting the two tied for 12th in the ASUN with 0.9 per game. Senior Jazzy Klinge is second on the team with four blocks which ranks tied for 19th in the conference at 0.6 per game.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
