FLORENCE, Ala. (November 15, 2024) – The North Alabama Lions and Samford Bulldogs produce an early candidate for game of the year late Friday night inside CB&S Bank Arena, as the in-state rivals battled to overtime with Samford winning 97-96 on the road.
A number of stars emerged in the heavyweight battle, but perhaps none brighter than junior guard
Jacari Lane with a career-high 32 points. He also had a team-high six assists. His early scoring and late heroics were enough to help UNA overcome a 20-point deficit.
The first half was all Samford (3-1) as the defending Southern Conference champions led 56-37 at halftime. Later in the second half down 67-50, the Lions (3-1) went on an 11-0 run capped by a three-pointer from an emerging
Canin Jefferson to pull within two possessions. UNA trailed by as many as 12 with 3:48 to go, but made enough stops and conversions to tie it with three seconds remaining. Down 88-86, junior
Donte Bacchus made a fast break layup to tie it. Samford missed the half court heave, sending the game to overtime.
With the home crowd electric, overtime began with a steal by
Will Soucie and a jumper from Lane to give UNA its first lead since going up 1-0 in the opening moments. Samford eventually took a 97-94 lead. UNA pulled within one on a give-me dunk for
Corneilous Williams and had a chance to heave one up at the other end after a missed free throw, but the shot was off the mark and not in time.
For the second straight game, at least five players finished in double figures for UNA. Williams was a major factor with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. This marked the most since former Lion turned pro
Damian Forrest had 16 rebounds against Southern Utah at the CBI in 2023.
Senior guard
Taye Fields finished with 13 points, while Soucie and Jefferson each had 12. With Fields and Jefferson both fouled out at one point, Bacchus stepped in with six points and 10 rebounds, including the game-tying score in regulation.
Samford was led by Jaden Brownell with 24 points and eight rebounds.
The overtime shootout came courtesy of the ASUN/SoCon scheduling alliance announced back in July. So far, the SoCon has a slight 5-4 edge in the challenge. The Lions will get another shot at the SoCon on Dec. 1 at Wofford.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: The first half was nothing to write home about for North Alabama, as Samford took a 19-point lead into the locker room. Samford shot 55.8 percent in the half, going 19-34, while limiting UNA to 36.6 shooting at 12-33. The Lions also struggled behind the arc and at the line, going 2-11 from downtown and 11-18 on freebies. UNA scored first on a free throw by Soucie, but then the Lions went on a dry spell and Samford went up 8-1 and later 15-5. Down double digits, UNA went on an 11-2 run to make it 28-26, but then the Bulldogs ran away to the 56-37 lead with efficient shooting over the final nine minutes of the frame.
Second Half: UNA came out motivated in the second half, chipping away and pulling back within nine points with 13:42 remaining. Three-pointers from Jefferson and Lane got the crowd back in it and pulled UNA within five at 69-64 with 11:57 to go. Samford got back out to double digits, but UNA hung around long enough to get back in it with a
Jacari Lane and-one to make it 86-81 with 1:23 remaining. UNA then forced a crucial turnover and Lane got to the line and made it 86-83 with 45 seconds to go. With hope palpable in the building, UNA fouled Samford's Josh Holloway, who missed the front end of the one-and-one. Bacchus got the rebound and launched it to Lane, who was blocked but had Williams to pick up the pieces with a putback slam. Jefferson had to foul again with 19 seconds to go. Samford made one of two at the line, and the Lions were in business. Lane made a free throw to make it 87-86, then Soucie had to foul. Samford again went 1-for-2 at the line, giving UNA the ball with nine seconds left and a chance to tie or win. UNA went for the tie on a layup by Bacchus on a dime from Lane. Samford tried a handoff play behind half court, but the game-winning shot hit hard off the shot clock to send the game to overtime. UNA shot 18-34 in the second half for 52.9 percent and 5-10 behind the arc.
Overtime: With the crowd on its feet, UNA started the overtime by forcing a turnover and converting that into points. This gave UNA its first lead since the start of the first half at 90-88. Brownell tied things up again, but Lane answered at the 3:01 mark. Samford's Julian Brown stripped one from downtown to snatch the lead back, then Rylan Jones made a layup to make it 95-92. The Lions went a bit cold, but Lane got to the line after being fouled and pulled his team back within one with 14 seconds to go. With Jefferson fouled out, senior
Daniel Ortiz reemerged. Samford went up 97-94 with 12 ticks, the UNA attempted the tie with a three-pointer from Lane. Soucie got the offensive board, allowing for an inbound. With nowhere on the perimeter to pass, UNA settled for two and fouled quick instead of going for a three at the buzzer. With 2.7 seconds to go, Samford purposely missed the one-and-one and UNA could not fire off a shot in time.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- UNA is now 28-4 in non-conference home games under head coach Tony Pujol. Samford joins Jacksonville State (2018), Troy (2020) and Morehead State (2023) to beat UNA at home in non-conference play the last seven seasons.
- UNA has now lost four straight overtime games dating back to last season. UNA's last OT win came on Feb. 18, 2023 at EKU — 98-93.
- UNA's last overtime home win came on Jan. 22, 2021 against Jacksonville — 82-81.
- UNA led 1-0 after a free throw by Soucie. The Lions did not lead again until the first basket of overtime, which started with a steal from Soucie and a bucket by Lane.
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UNA has shot 40.0-plue in all four games this season, going 33-74 for 44.6 percent.
- The Lions went 7-23 behind the arc for 30.4 percent, while Samford had more slightly more success at a higher volume at 12-32 for 37.5 percent.
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Free throw shooting was a detriment both ways, as UNA went 23-38 for 60.5 percent and Samford went 19-30 for 63.3 percent. However, this was not a season-low for either team.
- UNA has led in fast break points all four times this season, outscoring Samford 23-11.
- UNA also had a 20-12 advantage in second chance points.
- The Lions won the boards 44-43 and 18-14 on the offensive end.
- Turnovers were also favorable for UNA with a 21-14 advantage thanks to 12 steals, including five by Lane. UNA is among the nation's top-16 teams in turnover margin this season.
- Lane has had 49 career games in double figures, including three games this season with over 20 points. This was his first-career game with over 30 points. His previous career-high was 29 against Austin Peay in 2023.
- Lane is on the verge of becoming the 28th player in UNA history to join the 1,000 point club. He has 981 career points and needs just 19 to hit the 1K mark. Meanwhile, senior teammate Daniel Ortiz is at 951 points after tonight and needs 49 to score his 1,000th at UNA.
- 80 – Anytime the Lions score 80 or more points, fans who attended the game can go to Rosie's Cantina in Downtown Florence to get a free cup of queso. Fans must show proof of attendance to retrieve.
- 60 – Anytime the Lions score 60 or more points, fans can head to Culver's on Cloverdale Road to retrieve a free single scoop of custard by using the online code "CUSTARD4LIONS" as part of the "Swish for a Dish" promotion.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions will play one of the nation's best teams on Monday, traveling to No. 5 Auburn for an 8 p.m. tipoff.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
