JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 2, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team will kick off the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Tuesday, March 3, against No. 11 Queens at 6:30 p.m. CT in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Lions return to Jacksonville in hopes of starting a deep postseason run. North Alabama preps for its eighth ASUN Championship appearance with the winner of UNA and Queens playing for a trip to the quarterfinals later this week on Thursday, March 5.
The game will be played at the UNF Arena on the campus of North Florida. Tickets are available for purchase at this link. Tuesday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and air on radio through Roar Lions Productions with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray on commentary. The "Countdown to Tipoff" radio show will begin at 6:10 p.m.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along in real time on the UNA Women's Basketball social media pages.
GAME INFO
Game: No. 6 North Alabama vs. No. 11 Queens
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: UNF Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Roar Lions Productions
Live Stats: SIDEARM
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media: @UNAwbb
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama played in a game for the ages, locking in a 118-107 home triumph that needed four overtime periods to determine a winner. The matchup was a true back-and-forth affair with 38 lead changes while battling for sixth seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Both teams fought in the four extra periods, but the Lions exploded in the fourth overtime and outscored West Georgia by a 13-2 margin to cap the regular season in dramatic fashion. This drew national attention from the media, including an appearance on ESPN SportsCenter's "Must SC" segment.
REGULAR-SEASON RECAP: UNA finished with 16 wins during the regular season along with 11 in ASUN play. The win totals were the most under Head Coach Candi Whitaker and most since the 2019-20 campaign. UNA was strong at home with 10 home wins and solid on the road with six away victories — also the most since 2019-20.
THREE'S THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Lions brought home three ASUN postseason honors, with senior India Howard, senior Alexsandra Alvarado and freshman Gabby Jackson garnering all-conference conference recognition. Howard earned the first after being named to the Academic All-ASUN team for a second-straight season. Alvarado was tabbed a Second Team All-ASUN selection, and Jackson brought home an ASUN All-Freshman Team honor.
SCOUTING UNA: North Alabama looks for a strong start in its opening postseason matchup. UNA had a solid end to the season with a 7-3 record in the past 10 contests, including three-straight from Jan. 31 - Feb. 7 (FGCU, Austin Peay and at Queens). Alvarado (16.5 points per game), sophomore Sofia Ceppellotti (12.4 PPG), junior Katie Criswell (10.7 PPG), senior India Howard (8.9 PPG) and freshman Gabby Jackson (8.8 PPG) have helped lead UNA during that span, along with contributions from senior Jazzy Klinge (7.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG).
SCOUTING QUEENS: The Royals enter the tournament with a 10-19 overall with a 4-14 ASUN record. Queens' last victory came in a 72-62, Senior-Night victory over West Georgia on Feb. 24. Jermany Mapp leads the Royals in scoring at 11.1 points per game – tied for 18th in the league. Hannah Hicks is fourth in the ASUN in rebounding per game at 7.5, and Dayuna Colvin is in the top 10 in assists at three per game.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama and Queens prep for the third meeting of the season and seventh all time. The Lions lead 5-1 and swept the Royals during the regular season. series advantage against Queens. UNA was victorious in the first meeting on Jan. 22 in a 63-60 victory in CB&S Bank Arena. The Lions secured the season sweep in a 71-55 road rout on Feb. 7 in Charlotte, N.C.
RIGHT UP HER ALLEY: Alvarado sports a team-leading 13.9 points per game. She is also UNA's leader in assists (93), three-pointers made (54) and steals (40). Alvarado is sixth in the ASUN in assist/turnover ratio (1.2), seventh in assists per game (3.2), eighth in free-throw percentage (76.4 percent), tied for eighth in the ASUN in three-pointers made per game (1.9 per game) and 10th in scoring. Defensively, Alvarado is tied for 18th in steals per game (1.4). The Richmond, Calif. native had sensational scoring outing in the regular-season finale, setting a new Division-I program record with 39 points against West Georgia on Feb. 27.
SOFIA SHINES: Ceppellotti is second on the team with 11.5 points per game averages and third with 5.4 rebounds. The sophomore is 16th in scoring, tied for 18th in three-pointers made and 20th in rebounding.
GABBY GETS IT!: Jackson is the team leader in total rebounds with 191 for a 6.6 average. She has had at least seven rebounds in 14 games this season with the Kansas City, Mo. native tied for ninth in the ASUN in rebounds per game.
All INDIA, ALL THE TIME: Howard continues to produce on both ends of the floor with 7.7 points per game averages and 4.9 rebounds. She is the team's leader in field-goal percentage and blocks, shooting at a 60.6 percent clip while totaling 30 rejections. Howard totaled her 100th career block against South Alabama on Dec. 14, 2025, and played in her 100th career collegiate game on Feb. 9 at Central Arkansas.
COUNTING ON CRISWELL: Criswell has been finding ways to produce on both ends as well. She's been the Lions' on-ball defensive specialist and has accumulated double-digits in both steals (20) and blocks (17). The Lawrence County, Tenn. native scored a career-high 22 points on 56.3 percent against West Georgia on Feb. 11. Criswell made history in the regular-season finale, playing all 60 minutes in a four-overtime, 118-107 UNA win over West Georgia on Feb. 27. This shattered the UNA all-time record and the ASUN all-time record for most minutes in a game. It also ranks fifth in NCAA history, and she is one of just 13 players to reach this mark.
AMONG THE RANKS: The Lions are in the top 100 nationally in four categories as of March 1. North Alabama ranks nationally per game in defensive rebounds per game (44th/27.8), opponent three-point percentage (49th/28.1), rebounds per game (69th/39.34) and opponent field-goal percentage (77th/38.1 percent).
NOTHING EASY: North Alabama gets it done on the defensive end with four players ranked on the ASUN's blocked shots leaderboard. Howard ranks tied for seventh at one per game while Criswell and Ceppellotti both rank tied for 17th at 0.6. Klinge rounds out tied for 23rd with 0.5 per game.
LIONS ON THE BOARDS: North Alabama ranks second in the ASUN in team rebounds (39.3 per game) and third in defensive rebounds (27.8). The Lions have led in rebounding in 15 contests through the regular season. Six players have at least 75 rebounds with four totaling at least 120 rebounds (Jackson (191), Klinge (166), Howard (142) and Ceppellotti (127)).
DIME TIME: UNA is one of the best passing teams in conference, ranking second with 14.34 assists per game. Eight players have 20 or more assists on the season with eight totaling 30 or more assists. Alvarado leads with 89, followed by Criswell (48), Jackson (44), Klinge (43) and graduate Bukky Akinsola (40).
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