Crowd
64
Lipscomb Lips 13-7,5-2 ASUN
74
Winner North Ala. UNA 13-7,5-2 ASUN
Lipscomb Lips
13-7,5-2 ASUN
64
Final
74
North Ala. UNA
13-7,5-2 ASUN
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lipscomb Lips 33 31 64
North Ala. UNA 36 38 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Lions lash Lipscomb in high-level showdown, 74-64

Jacari Lane scores 18; Lions dominate boards for key victory

FLORENCE, Ala. (January 23, 2025) – North Alabama and Lipscomb made national headlines for the second year in a row. And just like last year, the Lions were victorious.
 
UNA and Lipscomb had the attention of numerous mid-major basketball junkies on Thursday night and did not disappoint, as the Lions finished off an impressive 74-64 win over the Bisons in Atlantic Sun Conference action inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence.
 
The Lions (13-7, 5-2 ASUN) fed off the energy of the crowd, as the student section — known as "the vault" — filled to capacity with ravenous fans in "whiteout" T-shirts. That energy had a direct impact in the game, as the Lions earned their highest-ranked NET win of the season.

Lipscomb (13-7, 5-2 ASUN) entered the game ranked No. 79 in the NCAA NET Rankings. However, the Bisons never led by more than four points.

The first half was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than two possessions. The Lions carried a 36-33 advantage into the locker room, then extended it by five out of the break thanks to dynamic duo Jacari Lane and Daniel Ortiz, who combined for 30 points. Ortiz grew that lead to double digits at the 15:21 mark and Lipscomb never got back within eight.
 
Lane had a team-high 18 points and game-high six assists. Ortiz also helped with 12 points — all of which came behind the arc. He and Lane combined to go 7-16 behind the arc.
 
For the second straight game, redshirt sophomore Corneilous Williams set the tone. The forward threw down a putback dunk and another jam on the next possession for two of the first three scores. He not only got the crowd involved early, but finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double — his fifth this season and second in ASUN play.
 
Redshirt senior Will Soucie, who battled Lipscomb for the ninth time in his career, scored 11 points on 4-8 shooting from the floor. He, Lane and senior Taye Fields each went 3-4 from the line. Fields added nine points, eight boards, a block and two steals in another all-around effort.
 
Two keys in the win were rebounding and perimeter defense. UNA won the boards by a wide margin — 41-26 — and held a high-scoring Lipscomb team to just 7-28 behind the arc for 25 percent.
 
Lipscomb was led by Joe Anderson with a game-high 21 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half: Corneilous Williams was the tone-setter, winning the tip and scoring a layup in the first 20 seconds. He then followed with a pair of authoritative dunks to make it 6-4. Lane extended the lead to 9-4 with a triple, and this marked the largest lead for either team in the half. Lane, the only first team all-conference player to return to the ASUN this season, led the way with 14 points in the first half, playing all 20 minutes. Lipscomb was led by their own ASUN Player of the Year candidate, Jacob Ognacevic, with 10 first half points. The Lions led 36-33 at the break.
 
Second Half: UNA came out firing in the second half, outscoring Lipscomb 38-31 in the second. This started with a 15-4 run in the first six minutes of the second half, ending with a layup from Fields at the 14:25 mark to force a timeout from Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff. The former Alabama-Huntsville coach's squad got within eight at the 4:29 mark, but UNA coach Tony Pujol's team finished the job with a three-pointer from Jefferson and late scores from Soucie and Lane to end hopes of a comeback.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • UNA is the first ASUN school to hold Lipscomb under 70 points this season. Only four other schools have accomplished this — Arkansas, Kentucky, MTSU and Western Kentucky.
  • UNA has three straight wins over Lipscomb and has won four of the last five.
  • UNA is also on a three-game win streak against Lipscomb in CB&S Bank Arena. 
  • Tonight marked UNA's ninth game with over 40 rebounds this season and the fifth time in seven conference games. UNA won the boards 41-26.
  • UNA limited Lipscomb to just two points off the bench. However, Donte Bacchus, Canin Jefferson and DarKaun King combined for 13 points.
  • UNA won the paint with a 34-30 scoring advantage.
  • The Lions led for 27:22 of game time. Lipscomb led for 9:10.
  • The game was tied seven times with four lead changes. All four lead changes were in the first half. 
  • UNA improves to 8-1 at home this season and 3-0 in conference home games
  • 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. 
  • 60 - When the Lions score at least 60 points, fans can head to Culver's the next day and earn a free single scoop dish of the "flavor of the day" custard when making an online purchase with the code CUSTARD4LIONS. Only retrievable at the Cloverdale Road location in Florence.
 
COMING UP NEXT

The Lions, who just defeated the team that they beat in the ASUN quarterfinal last season, will next face the team that eliminated them in the semifinal last season, as Austin Peay marches into CB&S Bank Arena on Saturday at 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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