King Walker
Drew Barton
60
Tenn. Southern MMA 0-1
92
Winner North Ala. UNA 3-4,0-0 ASUN
Tenn. Southern MMA
0-1
60
Final
92
North Ala. UNA
3-4,0-0 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Tenn. Southern MMA 32 28 60
North Ala. UNA 49 43 92

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball throttles UT Southern in November matinee

Lions improve to 5-0 in pre-Thanksgiving home games and 34-5 in non-conference home games under Tony Pujol

FLORENCE, Ala. (November 25, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team had their Thanksgiving feast a couple of days early on Tuesday afternoon, dominating UT Southern by a 92-60 final inside CB&S Bank Arena.
 
The Lions (3-4) improve to a perfect 22-0 record against non-Division I opponents since moving up to Division I in 2018. All 22 games over those eight seasons have been coached by Tony Pujol.
 
Today was an exhibition for the Firehawks, who remain with a 5-3 record. This ends a two-game winning streak over NCAA Division I opponents for UT Southern, which defeated Samford in 2022 and Tennessee Tech in 2023.
 
UNA led the entire game, taking a double-digit lead early in the first half and extending it further before the halftime buzzer. The second half saw the lead grow over 30 points with UNA finishing over 50 percent shooting for the first time this season. UT Southern was limited to 38 percent on 15 less makes.
 
Four Lions finished in double figures, including the third double-double of the season for Corneilous Williams. He feasted with 16 points and added a side of 10 rebounds. Senior Donte Bacchus added 14 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Kevin de Kovachich had his seventh double-figure scoring effort in as many games this season with 13.
 
Junior Canin Jefferson added 11, while redshirt senior Dallas Howell made two triples for six points to round out the starters. All seven bench players made at least one bucket for 32 points off the pine. Sophomore DarKaun King led this group with eight points to set a career-high.
 
UT Southern was led by Antonio Cochran with 12 points. Two other Firehawks finished with 10.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half: As has been the case in most UNA games this season, the Lions jumped out to an early lead with a 7-0 run. Bacchus followed a layup by Williams with a layup and three-point make within the first three minutes. The Lions later had a 10-0 run to extend an already double-digit lead to 45-23. UT Southern pulled a little closer at the break to make it 49-32. Bacchus and de Kovachich went on to score 11 points apiece in the half, while Williams had a game-leading seven rebounds at the break. UT Southern did not have a player with more than two rebounds in the half. UNA owned a 32-10 advantage in the paint and shot 57.1 percent from the field. UT Southern got 18 of its 32 points behind the arc.
 
Second Half: UNA outscored UT Southern 43-28 in the second half to cruise into Thanksgiving. The Lions dominated the floor with 16-30 shooting in the second half for 53 percent, while limiting UT Southern to 9-29 for 31 percent. Williams finished his dominant performance with 10 second half points and three more rebounds to get his 14th career double-double. Ten more Lions scored in the final half, including the first career points for redshirt freshman King Walker, who finished with four. True freshman Cortez Graham-Howard added a powerful dunk to light up the crowd. Senior Jamal Albritton was another notable with four points and a pair of blocks.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • UNA is now 22-0 against non-Division I opponents at home under Tony Pujol, including two wins over UT Southern in that span.
  • The Lions are now 34-5 in non-conference home games since 2018, including wins in five of the last six.
  • UNA now has a 5-0 record in pre-Thanksgiving games since 2018.
  • UNA now has a record of 547-187 all-time at home for a 74.5 win percentage.
  • This is the second straight game that UNA has jumped out to a 7-0 lead and the third game that UNA has grabbed the first lead. 
  • UNA has led first in five of the seven games this season. The other two — Mississippi State and ETSU — included second half leads of nine or more points.
  • UNA forced UT Southern into 17 turnovers while only giving away nine. This translated into a 25-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
  • UNA had a 56-20 scoring advantage in the paint and 37-27 advantage in rebounding.
  • UNA had a 17-6 advantage on fast breaks.
  • The 55.4 percent shooting day was UNA's first time going over 50 percent since defeated Austin Peay 90-64 in the Atlantic Sun Conference Quarterfinal on March 3, 2025.
  • 6 — This is the number of free boneless wings that fans can retrieve at the Buffalo Wild Wings location in Florence after every UNA win with the purchase of six wings. Fans are encouraged to show their ticket or the social media graphic to retrieve the offer.
  • 80 —Any time 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 —  Any time 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 close non-conference play with four straight on the road, starting Monday, Dec. 1 against Jacksonville State. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

 
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