SAN FRANCISCO (December 3, 2025) – North Alabama did not leave anything in San Francisco on Wednesday night, but the Lions were all heart with a thrilling come-from-behind 65-63 victory over the San Francisco Dons inside War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
This marks the third straight win for the Lions, who improve to 5-4 on the season. This also marks the third time in two seasons UNA has won a buy game on the road with wins at Air Force and East Carolina last season.
This is also a ranked win for the Lions, as San Francisco is ranked No. 20 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. The Dons are now 5-4 this season, but had not lost at home until tonight. Other losses include Colorado, Nevada and Memphis.
Playing nearly 2,000 miles away from Florence, the Lions appeared about 2,000 miles away on the scoreboard with an early 24-6 deficit.
However, what was on the scoreboard did not matter. At least until the final buzzer.
UNA went on separate spurts late in the first half and finished on an 18-2 run to cut it to 26-24 at halftime. The Lions took their first lead of the game at the 17:41 mark on a triple by
Canin Jefferson. Five lead changes took place in the second half, but the score ended up at 63-63 with 37 seconds to go after San Francisco back-to-back triples.
Enter Jefferson.
The junior point guard made the biggest shot of the game with 16 seconds to go, dribbling out some clock before driving to the rim and banking a layup for the go-ahead basket. The UNA defense — which seemingly out-physicaled the Dons most of the night — came up with one final kill as a Mookie Cook three-pointer missed at the buzzer.
The epitome of brutality, as some may say.
UNA missed its first 12 field goal attempts, but gritty rebounding and 47 percent shooting in the second half made up the difference. The catalyst in the comeback was senior
Donte Bacchus, who led the team in scoring for the second straight game with a season-high 20 points. Bacchus, who scored 19 in a win at Jax State on Monday, was just one point shy of a career-high and finished 8-14 from the floor and 4-4 at the line.
Two other starters finished in double figures with redshirt junior
Corneilous Williams scoring 12 points with eight rebounds for a near-double-double. Sophomore
Kevin de Kovachich chipped in 10 points, while Jefferson added nine.
For the third straight game, sophomore
DarKaun King made major contributions off the bench with eight points — matching his career high. King was ejected midway through the second half on a tough foul call that was upgraded to a Flagrant 2, but left his impact over 16 minutes to lead the bench.
Rebounding was a key factor in the comeback for UNA, as the Lions had a 46-31 advantage. This led to 20 second chance points on 19 offensive boards and 30 points in the paint. UNA also stayed steady at the line, going 14-17 for 82 percent. Bacchus, Williams and sixth-year senior
Dallas Howell were perfect at the line.
San Francisco was led by Cook with 12 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: Nothing went right for UNA in the early stages, as USF jumped out to a 16-2 lead. The Lions missed 12 straight field goals with the only points coming from Bacchus at the line.
Tank Washington ended the drought with a putback layup at the 11:43 mark. The next field goal didn't come until the 8:13 mark on a put back hook shot by
Jamal Albritton. Although Washington and Albritton only scored once in the game, their field goals set up a domino of points from the starters. Bacchus, Williams and de Kovachich combined for 16 points in the final eight minutes to cut the lead to 26-24. San Francisco went cold shooting in the final eight minutes of the half with its only points coming off a dunk.
Second Half: Business picked up in the second half with momentum wearing purple. Bacchus and Williams tied the game and Jefferson hit a clutch triple to give UNA its first advantage at the 17:41 mark. King got hot with a personal 7-0 scoring run for the Lions over a two minute stretch, making it 38-35 Lions with 12:57 to go. After King's three-pointer, UNA never trailed again. There were a few ties mixed in late in the second half, including a 6-0 run by the Dons with 2:50 remaining to make it 56-56. Playing with the upmost confidence, Jefferson took over the final 1:30 or so and made it 63-57 with a layup and a pair of free throws. USF's Legend Smiley tried to play legend in the final minutes, hitting back-to-back triples within 30 seconds of each other after a make and a quick UNA miss at the other end. Just when the momentum seemed to be with the home team, Jefferson hushed the crowd with a driving layup to take the lead at 65-63. USF was defended at the other end and the game-winner hit rim.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- UNA is on a three-game win streak for the first time since last season's historic run that included an ASUN Regular Season Championship with a win against Queens and two home wins over Austin Peay and Jacksonville in the ASUN Championship Quarterfinal and Semifinal Rounds.
- Both teams shot just under 40 percent from the field. This is the first time UNA has won a game when shooting in the 30 percent range since beating Austin Peay in overtime on Jan. 25, 2025.
- UNA went just 3-15 from behind the arc. This is the fewest triples for UNA this season and the lowest shooting percentage at 20 percent.
- On the flip side, UNA turned in a season-best at the line at 82 percent. The last time UNA shot 14-17 from the line was at Lipscomb on Feb. 20 of last season.
- The 15-rebound differential is the widest advantage for UNA this season. The previous was a 12-rebound difference against Lane College in the home opener last month.
- One challenge for UNA tonight was blocked shots. UNA only blocked two, while USF blocked 10.
- Tonight marks UNA's first win without a double-double from Williams. The Lions were previously 0-4 in games where Williams did not have double digit scoring and rebounding totals. UNA is 4-0 when Williams records a double-double this season.
COMING UP NEXT
The Lions have a long break before starting the second half of their December road tour. UNA will play in Huntsville at Alabama A&M on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
