Patton
Drew Barton
80
North Ala. UNA 5-9,0-3 ASUN
88
Winner Eastern Ky. EKU 5-11,1-2 ASUN
North Ala. UNA
5-9,0-3 ASUN
80
Final
88
Eastern Ky. EKU
5-11,1-2 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Ala. UNA 42 38 80
Eastern Ky. EKU 42 46 88

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Jefferson, Patton net career highs in 88-80 loss at EKU

Lions finish with season-best shooting from downtown in competitive affair

FLORENCE, Ala. (January 8, 2026) – Almost any time North Alabama pays a visit to Eastern Kentucky for a men's basketball game, the sparks will fly.
 
Thursday was no different as the Lions and Colonels combined for 21 three-point baskets and swapped the lead five times. However, EKU outlasted UNA in the second half to capture an 88-80 win inside Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, Ky.  
 
With both teams hunting their first wins in Atlantic Sun Conference play, the Lions (5-9, 0-3 ASUN) jumped out to a 9-2 lead with a trio of triples. Sophomore Kevin de Kovachich, junior Canin Jefferson and sixth-year senior Dallas Howell were the culprits, setting the tone for an 8-16 shooting night behind the arc.
 
The Colonels (5-11, 1-2 ASUN) responded each step of the way and eventually took the lead with 15:21 left in the opening half. Five EKU players finished in double-figures with Juan Cranford Jr. doing most of the first half work and Turner Buttry taking over the second half. They finished with 36 points combined.
 
Jefferson was the star for North Alabama with a career-high 24 points. His previous high was set last month at Alabama A&M with 20. The junior finished 7-13 from the field and 4-8 from downtown. He shot multiple three-pointers over two feet behind the arc. The New Orleans native also had five assists.
 
Senior Donte Bacchus had another strong performance with 19 points, remaining the team leader in scoring. Howell returned to form after struggling last game, shooting 3-7 from behind the arc for nine points.
 
With DarKaun King unavailable due to illness, the Lions needed a sixth man to step up off the bench. That was true freshman Braylon Patton tonight, who finished with a career-high 13 points on 5-6 shooting. He played 19 minutes and had a positive plus-minus rating.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half: Thursday was one of the more entertaining first halves of the season for UNA, as the Lions started 3-3 from behind the arc to take a 9-2 lead. EKU settled in and eventually ripped back the lead with a quick 10-2 run. From there, the game went back-and-forth with electric scoring. Dallas Howell and Canin Jefferson went back-to-back on triples to follow an and-one opportunity for Braylon Patton. Jefferson's triple made it 21-20 to put the Lions down one at the halfway mark of the half. EKU extended the lead to 35-25 to go up double-digits, but the Lions chipped away and eventually tied it right before the half on a three-pointer by Patton with six seconds left. Both teams shot just under 50 percent from the field, while UNA finished 8-16 behind the arc. EKU was 7-18 in the half.
 
Second Half: Both teams had separate scoring droughts in the second half, allowing the other to go on short, lead-changing runs. EKU held a slim lead for the first few minutes of the second half, but shots began to fall for the Lions while things slowed down for the Colonels. UNA used an 8-0 run to take a 53-50 lead with 13:48 to go, ending with a go-ahead triple from Jefferson. Later, EKU responded with a 7-0 run near the 10-minute mark, taking a 62-59 lead. UNA kept it tight for most of the way after that, but never recaptured the lead. Both teams ended with a scoring spree, as UNA made six of its last seven shots while EKU went 5-7 down the stretch and stayed ahead on free throws.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • EKU takes a 5-3 lead in the all-time series. The two meet again in Florence on Feb. 15 and will be televised on ESPNU.
  • All eight players that appeared for the Lions had at least one rebound. Seven players had multiple and four had at least three rebounds. 
  • This marks UNA's first five-game skid since 2023. The Lions finished with a winning record that season, going 18-15 overall and 10-8 in ASUN play. 
  • UNA shot 28-53 for 52.8 percent. This is the best shooting percentage against a Division I opponent this season. The highest overall came against UT Southern at 36-65 for 55.4 percent.
  • UNA shot a season-high from downtown, going 10-23 for 43.5 percent. This was also UNA's first time making double-digit triples in a game since going 13-22 against Austin Peay in the ASUN Quarterfinal last season.
  • Defensive rebounding was nearly even, but EKU had a 15-7 advantage on the offensive glass and a 21-10 advantage in second chance scoring.
  • The two sides combined for just 15 turnovers with nine from UNA and six from EKU. 
  • EKU went 19-23 from the line, while UNA shot 14-25.
  • UNA had 11 assists to have more assists than turnovers for the sixth time this season.
 
 
COMING UP NEXT
 
UNA continues down the Kentucky Trail over to Louisville to face Bellarmine on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. Bellarmine comes in after an 84-78 overtime win against Central Arkansas.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 
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