FLORENCE, Ala. (February 9, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team led for over 32 minutes against one of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but the Lions could not close it out in a 72-65 loss to Central Arkansas on Monday in CB&S Bank Arena.

Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in 23 days, the Lions (7-16, 2-10 ASUN) used their home court advantage to take a 37-29 halftime lead. UNA shot 14-25 from the field to finish the half at 56 percent.

The second half was equally entertaining, as the game was tied at 64-64 right after the under four media timeout. This is where the game began to shift, as the Bears (15-10, 10-2 ASUN) finished the game on an 8-1 run. All eight points came from Camren Hunter — an ASUN Player of the Year candidate — who finished with 28 points.

Central Arkansas continues an eight-game winning streak and sit one game back of the lead in the ASUN standings. UNA remains just two games outside of a five-team log jam for eighth in the standings.

All eight Lions that played on Monday scored points, including junior Canin Jefferson who returned to the rotation for the first time in two games. He played 22 minutes and finished with eight points.

Donte Bacchus, who is averaging over 20 points per game in the last five outings, finished with 17 points to lead the way. True freshman Braylon Patton, coming off a career-high at Austin Peay, finished with 12. Sophomore Kevin de Kovachich chipped in nine.

Another sign of a team effort from UNA came from the assist column, as the Lions had 12 total with five players having multiple assists.

UNA's largest lead of the night came late in the first half on a de Kovachich layup to make it 36-23. Outside of the tremendous shooting efficiency, UNA also thrived on an advantage scoring and rebounding in the paint. The Lions outscored UCA 32-22 in the paint for the game and had a 31-28 rebounding advantage.

Central Arkansas countered UNA's success in the paint with turnovers, forcing UNA into a season-high 19 turnovers. The Lions are among the top third of teams in the nation and the ASUN with roughly 11.0 per game.

The Lions will look to shake their three-game skid on Wednesday against West Georgia. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena.

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