CONWAY, Ark. (February 9, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team were defeated in tight contest Monday evening, dropping a 59-48 bout to Central Arkansas in a battle of top half Atlantic Sun Conference teams in Conway, Ark.
North Alabama (12-11, 7-5 ASUN) suffered just its second loss in its previous nine games in the contest from the Farris Center. It was a battle of defenses throughout the game, with both teams alternating quarter leads through the first three.
Central Arkansas (14-10, 7-5 ASUN) used a strong fourth period to separate from the Lions to take the home win.
Senior Alexsandra Alvarado led the Lions in scoring with 16 points on 6-12 shooting. She also tied the team high with three assists while securing her 15th double-digit scoring output.
Senior India Howard had herself a solid outing in her 100th career collegiate game. The Coppell, Texas native tallied eight points and seven rebounds – both finishing second-most on the team. She also registered three assists, two steals and one block to complete the all-around night.
Junior Katie Criswell tied Howard for second with eight points, and senior Jazzy Klinge and freshman Gabby Jackson provided seven points. Jackson corralled 10 rebounds for her fourth double-digit rebounding outing. Jackson also tied Howard and Alvarado for a team-leading three assists.
UNA began strong in the game, jumping out to a 15-8 lead halfway through the first. A 10-0 run to finish the opening quarter lead to a 18-15 Sugar Bears' advantage. The defenses highlighted the second quarter, but the Lions won the period by holding Central Arkansas to 23.1 percent shooting (3-13). UNA scored 11 points in the second while holding UCA to seven for a 26-25 halftime lead.
A slight 17-12 scoring advantage gave the Sugar Bears a 42-38 lead after the third. UNA looked to separate itself halfway through the quarter, but Central Arkansas kept working its way back to eventually taking a 34-32 lead at the 5:18 mark. The game went back-and-forth heading into the fourth quarter.
A second-straight quarter with 17 points made the difference for UCA in the contest. The surge was established with solid shooting (43.8 percent) as Central Arkansas built its lead to double digits. UNA rallied but could not catch up.
UNA moves on to Georgia for its Wednesday matchup at West Georgia at 6 p.m. CT.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
