FLORENCE, Ala. (February 1, 2025) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team remained perfect at home this weekend in Florence, taking down the West Georgia Wolves 82-73 at CB&S Bank Arena on Saturday evening.
A meeting of current Atlantic Sun Conference rival and two former members of the Gulf South Conference, North Alabama (11-10, 6-4 ASUN) faced West Georgia (8-13, 2-8 ASUN) for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Just like the final meeting in UNA's Division II days, the Lions secured a win against the Wolves. UNA also remained perfect in the two-game weekend homestand following an 87-62 win over Queens on Thursday.
With the game tied 6-6 early on, North Alabama quickly found its footing with a 19-0 run to make it 25-6. UNA carried a 24-point lead two quarters down. The Wolves outscored North Alabama, 48-33, but the Lions were efficient in the fourth quarter and retained a double-digit lead.
UNA capped the weekend with a second-straight efficient outing from the field, finishing the game shooting 51.7 percent from the field. The performance follows UNA's season high shooting outing against Queens just two days prior, with the Lions shooting 51.9 percent against the Royals.
Four Lions ended the game in double digits, including senior Charity Gallegos, junior Emma Kate Tittle, graduate Sara Wohlgemuth and junior Alyssa Clutter.
Gallegos finished just short of a second-straight 20-point game with 19 points against the Wolves. She also tied a career high with four steals for the game high, contributing eight assists and one rebound. Tittle was the second-leading scorer with 17 points, which marked her highest scoring output since her 21 points against UT Martin to open the season.
Wohlgemuth's 14 points marked her second time scoring in double digits this season, with the graduate guard having an all-around night with six rebounds and three assists. Clutter had 11 points with one rebound to round out the UNA scoring leaders.
Junior Jazzy Klinge had a second-straight dominant night on the boards with a game-high nine rebounds. Junior Cameron Jones led the team in blocks with two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UNA 25, UWG 8
A fast start and dominant bench play gave the Lions a 17-point lead after the first quarter. Both teams played to an even 6-6 scoreline to begin the period, but UNA came alive to score 19 straight points. Seven different scorers contributed in the scoring department, with Wohlgemuth and Clutter leading the way with six points each. The Lions' second unit stole the spotlight with 13 bench points, outscoring UWG's whole team. North Alabama's defense also was a factor in the early advantage, holding West Georgia to 20 percent quarter shooting.
SECOND QUARTER: UNA 49, UWG 25
After 25-first quarter points, the Lions responded with 24 points in the second period as four Lions secured double-digit points at halftime. Gallegos's 12 points was followed by 10 points each from Wohlgemuth, Clutter and junior Emma Kate Tittle. The bench continued to contribute points with nine in the quarter, but North Alabama also was successful in capitalizing on the West Georgia turnovers. The Lions secured eight points off of six-quarter turnovers by the Wolves.
THIRD QUARTER: UNA 62, UWG 46
Despite a strong outing by the Wolves in the period, North Alabama continued to maintain steady rhythm after three quarters. West Georgia outscored the Lions 21-13 in the period, shooting 50 percent. Tittle's seven points along with five from Katie Criswell gave the Lions the spark offensively.
FOURTH QUARTER: UNA 82, UWG 73
West Georgia had 27 points in the fourth quarter, but the Lions' lead was too much to overcome. North Alabama scored 20 points in the quarter on 70 percent shooting – the highest in any period for the Lions. The trio of Gallegos junior India Howard and Wohlgemuth led the way in quarter scoring with 17 combined, with an additional two points from junior Cameron Jones and one from Jazzy Klinge. The Wolves continued to fight in the period, cutting a 23-point lead in the quarter down to as low as nine points at the end.
UP NEXT
UNA begins a stretch of four games all on the road, traveling to Jacksonville, Fla. for the next two against North Florida and Jacksonville. North Alabama first takes on the Ospreys on Feb. 6, set for a 4 p.m. CT tipoff.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
