FLORENCE, Ala. (February 22, 2024) – In a game where the University of North Alabama never led, the Lions had a chance to force overtime at the buzzer against Atlantic Sun Conference leader EKU, but
Jacari Lane's three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer in a heartbreaking 75-72 loss on Thursday in Richmond, Ky.
The Colonels clinched at least a share of the ASUN regular season championship with the win, their first regular season title in 45 years. Meanwhile, the Lions remain sixth in the ASUN standings with a 7-7 record and still control their destiny for a berth into the ASUN Championship tournament.
The Colonels led by 10 midway through the first half, but the rest of the game remained single digits as the Lions came back to tie it in the second half on a
Will Soucie jumper with 8:06 remaining.
The final minute brought all of the dramatics to a fever pitch, as Lane sinked a clutch jumper with 50 seconds remaining to make it 75-72. With a 20 second differential on the shot clock, UNA forced a defensive stop and had possession with 20 seconds to go. After EKU stole it away and drew a bonus foul with eight ticks left, the front end of the one-and-one missed and went into the hands of Lane, who dribbled up and launched a three-pointer that missed by an inch to end it.
Lane led all scorers on Thursday, scoring 26 points for his 23rd double figure game in 28 starts. He made 11 shots on 18 attempts, marking the most made field goals by any UNA player this season.
Senior
KJ Johnson added 11 points in the effort, while junior sixth man
Dallas Howell added 10 with a pair of triples. Senior forward
Damian Forrest was one point off a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Junior
Josiah Fulcher led all players with five assists.
EKU's starters came through as Leland Walker led the home team with 24 points and Isaiah Cozart added six blocks, 12 points and 15 boards for the double-double. He remains the nation's leader in blocks and set EKU's single-season record tonight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: With a 10-8 lead at the first media timeout, EKU jumped out to an 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead. UNA chipped away at the deficit, pulling back within six on three separate occasions following buckets by Lane. With under a minute to play, the Lions pulled within four at 45-41 with another Lane jumper. EKU answered at the other end to make it 47-41 in a high-scoring half. Lane had 18 points in the first half alone.
Second Half: EKU took advantage of a high number of foul calls against the Lions and got to the line early and often, using the charity stripe to remain ahead while North Alabama earned their way from the field. EKU had just one three-pointer in the second half, while UNA made two and had five more baskets on 13 more shot attempts overall. A total team effort worked the Lions back into it, as a missed jumper by Walker resulted in a rebound by Forrest and a game-tying shot by Soucie on an assist from freshman
Canin Jefferson. UNA was one point away from the lead multiple times down the stretch, but EKU got baskets and free throws when needed to ultimately stay ahead.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Colonels went to the line 11 times in the second half, while UNA went just once.
- Both teams shot within the 40-45 percent range from the floor.
- EKU made six first half three-pointers, including a 4-5 start early on, to finish 7-14 for the game for 50 percent.
- UNA had a 42-30 advantage in paint scoring despite facing one of the toughest front courts in the nation.
- UNA got 20 points from its bench with eight different players scoring, including four non-starters. Howel and Fulcher combined for 15 points.
- Facing a top 15 rebounding team in the nation, UNA turned in a respectable performance on the boards with EKU leading 38-36.
- The top two rebounders in the conference squared off tonight, as Cozart and Forrest combined for 26 rebounds.
- UNA had 11 assists from five different players.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions head to Louisville for an important matchup with Bellarmine on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. A win for UNA will secure an ASUN tournament berth.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
