AUBURN, Ala. (December 30, 2023) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball program will conclude the 2023 calendar year with an in-state matchup on the road against the Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The Lions are back on the road to conclude non-conference play following a 78-67 setback against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 21 inside CB&S Bank Arena.
Sunday will be UNA's second battle with an opponent from the SEC with the first coming at Missouri on Nov. 14. A big first quarter from the hosts propelled them to an early lead, but North Alabama matched the Tigers with 60 points in the final three quarters en route to a competitive 83-72 decision in Columbia, Mo.
UNA travels to Auburn with hope of earning its first win in the series and carrying momentum into conference play, which starts on Jan. 6 against Central Arkansas.
Tickets are available for purchase through the Auburn ticket office. Live stats will be provided courtesy of SIDEARM, and the game will be available for streaming on SEC Network+. Radio will also be provided by "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray on WLX 98.3 and 103.5 FM.
MATCHUP
North Alabama at Auburn
Sunday, December 31, 2023
2 p.m.
Game Notes | Listen | Live Stats | Tickets | Watch
NOTES
SCOUTING THE LIONS: The Lions come into the matchup with a 4-8 record, finishing the previous week of action with a 1-1 record, including a thrilling win against in-state foe Samford on Dec. 19. The UNA offense came alive in the third quarter against the Bulldogs, scoring 28 points en route to its first road win. UNA dropped a competitive bout in Florence last time out against Tennessee Tech, 78-67. North Alabama continues to rank in the top three in the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring, averaging 72.1 points per game to rank third in the ASUN. UNA also continues to ranks in the top three in free throw percentage (78.9 percent/first), three-point percentage (34 percent/second), team assists (15.08 per game/second) and team field goal percentage (42.9 percent/third) among ASUN teams.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Auburn is located in Auburn, Ala. and competes in the SEC, joining as a founding member in 1932. Auburn has 17 intercollegiate athletic programs and began playing women's basketball in 1971 with an all-time record of 977-549. In their last outing on Dec. 20, the Tigers played Washington State at home in Neville Arena, defeating the Cougars, 69-62. Auburn's leading scorer is graduate guard Honesty Scott-Grayson (15.8 PPG), and they are coached by Johnnie Harris — in her third season with the team. Auburn is 10-2 on the season, sporting a 7-1 record at home and a 3-1 record on the road. The Tigers are 4-0 against teams based in Alabama this season, with victories against Jacksonville State (78-49), Alabama A&M (68-45), UAB (72-62) and Alabama State (94-37).
SERIES HISTORY: The New Year's Eve meeting between North Alabama and Auburn will be the first official meeting between the two programs in the NCAA era. The programs met once before in the 1974-75 season, but that was prior to the NCAA sponsoring women's basketball in 1982. As part of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), the matchup between the Tigers and Lions resulted in an 87-31 win for Auburn in Athens, Ala.
BIG GAME FOR TWEEDY: Freshman guard Veronaye Charlton continues to make an impact in her first year with the Lions, setting a new career high in points with 25 against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 21. The Nassau, Bahamas native led all scorers with the point total, going 8-15 from the floor with two threes and seven made free throws. She went perfect from behind the arc and from the line.
BATTLING WITH THE SEC: Auburn will be UNA's second SEC opponent this season following the tight loss to Missouri in November. North Alabama is no stranger to winning on the road against SEC competition. Back on Nov. 6, 2018, UNA head coach Missy Tiber led the Lions to a season-opening win on the road against Vanderbilt, 74-71, in the first game of the NCAA Division I era. It remains the only win over an SEC school in program history.
CRUCE VS. AUBURN: Alabama transfer and Shoals native Allie Craig Cruce will complete her storied career at UNA after four seasons with the Crimson Tide. In fact, Cruce scored a career-high 14 points in the 2022 SEC Tournament against Auburn, shooting 4-6 behind the arc.
STARTS WITH C: The duo of Alexis Callins and Alyssa Clutter have started all 12 games for UNA this season and are the top two scorers for UNA. Callins averages a whopping 17.3 points per game, shooting 34-97 behind the arc for a solid 35.1 percentage. Clutter averages 11.2 PPG and a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game.
CALLINS, CALLINS, CALLINS: Callins has been exceptional from downtown this season, ranking atop the ASUN in three-pointers made with 34. She also ranks fourth in three-point shooting percentage and atop the league with most attempts. Her 97 attempts rank 16th in the nation, while her 34 makes ranks 29th nationally.
FREEBIES: The Lions rank 17th in the nation and first in the ASUN with a 78.9 free throw percentage, making 161 of 204 attempts. Charlton is UNA's leading free throw shooter at 38-42 for 90.5 percent, which leads the ASUN and ranks 19th nationally.
STACKING DIMES: Senior guard Sara Wohlgemuth is the ASUN leader in assists with 67 this season, ranking among the top-25 players in the nation. Wohlgemuth had at least four assists in 11 of her 12 games, including an 11-point, 10-assist double-double at Mizzou.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
