CARROLLTON, Ga. (February 11, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team was victorious Wednesday evening in a 65-60 victory over West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga.
North Alabama (13-11, 8-5 ASUN) earned a second win in its current three-game roadtrip in the battle of former Gulf South Conference rivals. UNA started fast and on fire as both the offense and defense gave the Lions a double-digit advantage.
West Georgia (15-9, 8-5 ASUN) began to rally in the second half and made it a close game in the final period, but timely offensive scores and plays on the defensive end closed out the contest in favor of the Lions. UNA secured a wire-to-wire triumph against one of the top teams in the conference.
UNA gained its fifth road victory of the season and weathered the storm of the Wolves and their strong home record. Entering the contest, West Georgia only had one home loss the entire season with a 12-1 mark. The victory also marked the first for the Lions in Carrollton since Jan. 13, 2018.
Junior Katie Criswell had career scoring night with 22 points. The Lawrence County, Tenn. native made herself right at home in Carrollton, shooting 56.3 percent from the field (9-16) while hitting a career-high four three pointers.
Sophomore Sofia Ceppellotti was second in scoring for UNA with 11 points. Senior India Howard once again provided spark off the bench with 10 points – third on the team.
Senior Jazzy Klinge and freshman Gabby Jackson additionally provided big minutes against the Wolves. Klinge tied the game high with 12 rebounds and almost totaled a double-double with nine points. Jackson had a near double-double outing with eight points and nine rebounds.
Senior Alexsandra Alvarado was UNA's chief playmaker in her 100th career collegiate game. She tied a career high with eight assists while contributing five points and five rebounds.
It was team effort on defense as multiple Lions secured one steal and one block each. Four players tallied a steal (Ceppellotti, Jackson, Klinge and Howard), and four players also registered one block (Ceppellotti, Jackson, Klinge and freshman Greta Ramon).
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UNA 21, UWG 6
UNA set the tone from the opening tip, shining on both ends of the floor to start. Twenty-one points on 58.8 percent shooting gave the Lions the early lead, but the UNA defense was stout by holding West Georgia to 14.3 percent shooting. Leading 10-4, the Lions ended the quarter on an 11-2 run enroute to the 15-point advantage. Criswell was North Alabama's offensive catalyst to start with 11 points on 5-6 shooting (83.3 percent).
SECOND QUARTER: UNA 33, UWG 24
West Georgia responded with an 18-point second period, but North Alabama held its lead heading into the halftime break. Twelve points from the offense gave UNA some cushion, with the three-point attack making up half the quarter points. Criswell continued her stellar start with eight quarter points, increasing her game total to 19.
THIRD QUARTER: UNA 48, UWG 37
The Lions outscored the Wolves, 15-13, to maintain its lead heading into the final period. North Alabama's defense had another solid quarter, limiting West Georgia to 33.3 percent shooting in the quarter. The quarter was all about Jackson and her long-range prowess, as she led in scoring with eight points with two-made three pointers.
FOURTH QUARTER: UNA 65, UWG 60
West Georgia furiously led a comeback attempt, decreasing North Alabama's double-digit lead to a one-point game. The Wolves turned its offensive firepower up, outscoring the Lions, 20-10, through six minutes of play. North Alabama had a 58-57 narrow lead, but UNA would get two major sequences from Ceppellotti, Howard and Alvarado. Ceppellotti increased the lead to three with a layup at the 3:13 mark, and on the ensuing UWG possession, Howard denied Asia Donald to set up Alvarado's fast break layup while being fouled. Her old-fashion three-point play completed the shift in momentum back to UNA, which now held a 63-57 lead. The Lions' defense stood tall for the remainder of the period, including on the final two UWG possessions with UNA leading, 65-60. North Alabama denied the Wolves from a quality shot for the final 27 seconds to take the road contest.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions head to Richmond, Ky. for their next road matchup against ASUN leader EKU on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. CT.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
