FLORENCE, Ala. (February 23, 2025) – The final stanza of the regular season has arrived for North Alabama Men's Basketball, as the Lions look to maintain their spot atop the Atlantic Sun Conference on the road Monday at Central Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in Conway, Ark.
 
The Lions are 20-9 overall and 12-4 in ASUN play, holding a tie with Lipscomb for first in the league standings. UNA has two games remaining, as Central Arkansas will serve as the final regular season road game. The Lions close the regular season at home on Wednesday against Queens for senior day.
 
The game will air on ESPN+. Fans are also encouraged to listen to "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray for the local call on WLX Radio — 98.3 and 103.5 FM in the Shoals.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. West Georgia
Date: Monday, February 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Conway, Arkansas
Venue: Farris Center
Capacity: 5,500
Watch Party: Mugshots in Downtown Florence
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WLX 98.3 & 103.5 FM ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray)
Live Stats: SIDEARM
Tickets: Click Here
Game Notes: Click Here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
 
NOTES
 
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama suffered a 75-63 road loss at Lipscomb on Thursday in Nashville. The Lions were unable to overcome a slow first half and 11 made three-point shots from the Bisons. The loss brought the two into a tie for first in the ASUN standings and evened the season series with the home team winning each one.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama is 20-9 overall and 12-4 in league play, marking a Division I school record for single-season victories. UNA has won six of the last seven games. The Lions are the second-leading offense in the ASUN with 79.0 PPG and are the third-best defensively at 71.0 PPG allowed. Ball security has been key factor in UNA's success, ranking second in the nation with 9.0 turnovers per game.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Central Arkansas is 8-21 overall and 4-12 in league play following perhaps the most important win of the season against West Georgia on Thursday. The Bears control their own destiny for the 10th and final seed in the ASUN Championship next week. The Bears are in the bottom half of the ASUN with 70.5 PPG and 77.6 PPG allowed. Sophomore guard Brayden Fagbemi is the player to watch on Monday, as he averages 11.1 PPG and scored a season-high 25 points in the last meeting with North Alabama on Feb. 1.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UNA owns an all-time record of 10-4 against Central Arkansas. The series began in 1994 with an 80-75 win for the Lions. Of the 14 games, seven have come since UNA's move to Division I in 2018. UNA has won four of the last five games, including an 82-78 win in Conway last season and a decisive 94-65 win earlier this season in Florence.
 
LAST MEETING: On Feb. 1, UNA led wire-to-wire in a lopsided win over Central Arkansas at home. This win was one for the scrap book, as the Lions achieved its largest win margin in a conference game since moving into the ASUN in 2018. Senior Will Soucie scored his 1,000th career point that day, becoming the 30th player to score 1,000 career points in a Lion uniform. Freshman Kevin de Kovachich celebrated his birthday against Central Arkansas with 16 points over 16 minutes.
 
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 16.7 PPG and is the only remaining first team All-ASUN selection back in the league this year.
 
PASSING LANE: On Tuesday against West Georgia, Jacari Lane also broke his own Division I school record for single-season assists. He set it as a freshman with 108 and broke it again as a sophomore with 122. He now enters the final three games of the regular season with 123.
 
SCORING LANE: On Tuesday against West Georgia, Jacari Lane broke UNA's Division I scoring record with 1,356 career points. He passed the former record holder, Jamari Blackmon, for sixth on the school's all-time scoring list. Blackmon had 1,346 points from 2018-22.
 
FIRE IT UP: Senior Daniel Ortiz is not afraid to pull up behind the arc, as he is third in the nation with 259 three-point attempts. Not only does he shoot them, but he makes them. Ortiz ranks 16th nationally with 84 made triples for a respectable 32.4 percentage.
 
PROTECTION: UNA ranks second in the NCAA in turnovers per game with just 9.0 behind Ole Miss. UNA also ranks 44th of 326 teams with a 2.6 positive turnover margin.
 
STATE OF BASKETBALL: Many have claimed the state of Alabama is producing the best basketball in the nation this season, and the case is compelling. Of the 10 Division I schools in the state, eight are ranked in the top three of their conferences and in the top 125 of the NCAA NET. Nine of the 10 won last Saturday with the exception of Alabama, who played top-ranked in-state rival Auburn.

ON DECK: On Wednesday, the Lions will honor their seniors against Queens at 6 p.m.

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