FLORENCE, Ala. (January 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team continues the first weekend of Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday as the FGCU Eagles come to town for a 2 p.m. tip inside CB&S Bank Arena.
Both teams seek their first wins of ASUN play, as the Lions fell 70-67 at the buzzer against Stetson on Thursday. A few hours later, FGCU was slightly defeated 85-83 at Central Arkansas.
Saturday's game will stream on
ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray and Matt Daniels on the call.
Chase Glover will be the courtside reporter. Bryan Neece will have the local call on
Roar Lions Productions, available on RoarLions.com, Varsity Network, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube and Twitch.
Tickets are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or by visiting
this link.
As a special promotion on Saturday, UNA will honor local first responders with First Responders Day. There will be a Police vs. Fire Department showdown at halftime. First Responders can purchase tickets
here using the code FR2026.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the game, as parking is limited due to ongoing construction. As such, the lot near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be unavailable. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone.
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.
Limited handicap parking will be available in front of the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
GAME INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Stetson
Date: Thursday, January 1
Time: Noon
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena
Capacity: 3,000
Promotions: First Responders Day
Game Sponsor: North Alabama Medical Center
Associate Sponsor: Domino's Pizza
Watch:
ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray, Matt Daniels,
Chase Glover)
Listen:
Roar Lions Productions (Bryan Neece)
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Tickets:
Click Here
Game Notes:
Click Here
Social Media:
@UNA_Basketball
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama played a back-and-forth game to open ASUN play on New Year's Day, but a missed shot at the buzzer allowed the Stetson Hatters to escape with a 70-67 win on Thursday in CB&S Bank Arena.
Donte Bacchus and
Canin Jefferson combined for 39 points, including a career-high 22 from Bacchus. Sophomore
DarKaun King posted new career-highs with 11 rebounds and four steals.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has four scorers in double figures with Bacchus leading the charge at 14.3 points per game. Redshirt junior
Corneilous Williams joins him in the front court with 12.6 PPG while leading the ASUN in rebounding with 9.8 per game. Sophomore
Kevin de Kovachich was the top scorer early in the season and now averages 11.1 PPG, while Jefferson averages 11.9 PPG. UNA ranks among the top ASUN teams in blocks with 4.4 per game and has the fewest turnovers with just 10.9 per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: FGCU enters CB&S Bank Arena with a 6-8 overall record and an 0-1 mark in ASUN play following an 85-83 loss at Central Arkansas on Thursday. The Eagles swept through the SoCon with wins over Chattanooga and Samford, while also picking up notable wins over Oral Roberts and Rice in non-conference play. Graduate forward J.R. Konieczny is the catalyst of the team with 15.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG. He ranks among the top 10 ASUN players with both averages. As a team, FGCU is tied with Queens for the best scoring average in the ASUN with 83.1 PPG.
SERIES HISTORY: UNA has an 8-6 record against FGCU all-time with two wins during the Division II era in 2004 and 2005. The two sides have evenly split the 12 meetings since UNA's arrival in the ASUN in 2018. The most glaring stat in the series is UNA's dominance at home, owning a 4-0 record over FGCU in CB&S Bank Arena. The last three meetings have been decided by five points or less.
LAST MEETING: The Eagles were one of just four losses for UNA in conference play last season, as FGCU won 75-70 in Fort Myers last season. The game was tied 69-69 in the final minute, but Jevin Muniz made the go-ahead layup with 31 seconds to go. FGCU then forced a pair of costly turnovers to ice the game.
LAST MEETING IN FLORENCE: FGCU's last visit to Florence set up a thriller, as the Lions pulled off a 70-69 victory on Feb. 3, 2024.
Jacari Lane made the go-ahead free throw 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 rim. This gave UNA a fourth-straight win in conference play that season.
LEAGUE LEADER: Redshirt junior
Corneilous Williams has led the ASUN in rebounding for the better part of two seasons. Since grabbing 13 rebounds in the season opener at Mississippi State, Williams has led the ASUN in rebounding the entire season. Thursday's game against Stetson was his first time falling below a double-digit average, but he remains atop the league with 9.8 RPG.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Williams has finished with a double-double in four of the team's five wins this season. Over 11 games in non-conference play, Williams had six double-digit scoring games and seven games with double figure rebound totals.
FITTING FOR A KING: Sophomore
DarKaun King had a season-high points against FGCU last season and carries a pair of new career-highs with him into this year's matchup. Against Stetson, King finished with 11 rebounds and four steals to lead the Lions. His previous career-high in rebounding was five, as he more than doubled this on Thursday. He quadrupled his previous best in steals, as he never had more than one in a game until Thursday.
BLOCK PARTY: The Lions rank second in the ASUN with 4.4 blocks per game, trailing only West Georgia at 5.3 per game. FGCU brings the ASUN's block leader to Florence on Saturday as Isaiah Malone averages 1.9 per game. UNA is the only ASUN team with three players in the top 10 of blocked shots per game. —
Corneilous Williams (1.1 per game),
Jamal Albritton (0.9 per game) and
Dallas Howell (0.9 per game).
TIME TO START A NEW STREAK: The Lions had an unfortunate end to a pair of impressive home winning streaks this season, ranking fifth in the nation with a 16-game home winning streak before a loss to ETSU in November. UNA also had an 11-game win streak at home against ASUN opponents before falling to Stetson on Thursday.
SIXTH-YEAR SENIOR: Sixth-year senior
Dallas Howell has been with the program since 2020, earning a COVID season and an injury redshirt last season. He is one of just seven known players in Division I this season to play for six seasons. However, Howell is the only one of those seven to do it at the same school. The other schools with a sixth-year player include Oklahoma, Iowa State, USC, Texas, Bowling Green and Tarleton State.
TRENDS TO WATCH: UNA is 5-1 when outscoring opponents in the paint and when outrebounding opponents this season. The only loss came on Thursday to Stetson. The Lions, oddly, are 0-3 when shooting over 40 percent behind the arc while 5-4 when shooting under 40 percent.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
