LIONS FALL IN GSC TOURNAMENT

     SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – The University of North Alabama’s drive for a Gulf South Conference men’s basketball title came to an end Saturday as the Lions came out on the short end of a hard-fought 80-69 loss to Christian Brothers in the semifinal round of the tournament.

     UNA, now 24-8 overall, scored the opening basket of the game but would never lead again as the Buccaneers built as much as a 13-point lead in the first half and a 15-point advantage in the second half before settling for the 11-point win.

     North Alabama eliminated Christian Brothers from the GSC Tournament last season.

     The Lions hit just one three-point attempt in the first half and were only four-of-19  from the arc for the game. UNA shot just 37.8 percent from the floor, while Christian Brothers hit 53.8 percent of its shots.

     Thomas Fraise hit the opening bucket for UNA but Kyle Couvion hit a three for CBU and the Lions never led again. The Buccaneers lead steadily grew  to 13 at 35-22 before the Lions managed a slight run before the half. UNA trimmed the lead to seven but a last-second CBU basket made it 41-32 at the half.

     The Lions started strong in the second half but CBU managed to maintain the lead. North Alabama finally got within a basket when Casey Holt hit a short jumper to make it 60-58 with 5:41 left. Christian Brothers capped the game at the line for the 80-69 win.

     Fraise and Kenny Johnson had 16 points each to lead UNA, while Holt had 14 and Quinn Beckwith 10. Kevin Weybright led CBU with 23 points, while Nick Kohs had 17, Couvion 15, Justin Ray 12 and Reggie Peyton 10.

     UNA’s Casey Holt had 14 points in the game to push his career total to 1,158. He now ranks as the 12^th leading scorer in Lion history, moving past Tamp Harris.      

     The loss ended UNA’s nine-game winning streak and extended Christian Brothers’ win streak to 10. The Buccaneers are now 21-9.

     UNA’s  24 wins this season equals the third most wins in a season in school history.

     North Alabama will find out where it will play in the NCAA Division II National Tournament on Sunday night at 9:30 when the pairings are released by the NCAA.