JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (February 5, 2025) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team is set for a two-game Florida roadtrip this week, looking to continue its winning ways against the North Florida Ospreys and Jacksonville Dolphins.
The Lions begin a span of four away games starting this Thursday with UNA traveling to Jacksonville for the second meetings against the Ospreys and Dolphins. North Alabama claimed home wins against both teams earlier this season. North Alabama took care of business in home wins against Queens and West Georgia last time out, looking to extend the win streak to three and four this weekend.
North Alabama will play North Florida on Thursday, with the matchup from UNF Arena set for tipoff at 4 p.m. CT. The Lions conclude the weekend against Jacksonville on Saturday, taking on the Dolphins in Swisher Gymnasium at 1 p.m. CT. Both games will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and live stats provided courtesy of SIDEARM.
Box scores and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can follow along in real time on the North Alabama Women's Basketball social media pages.
GAME 1 INFO
Game: North Alabama at North Florida
Date: Thursday, February 6
Time: 4:00 p.m. CT
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: UNF Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Social Media: @UNAwbb
GAME 2 INFO
Game: North Alabama at Jacksonville
Date: Saturday, February 8
Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Venue: Swisher Gymnasium
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Social Media: @UNAwbb
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions' two-game homestand saw UNA go 2-0 at CB&S Bank Arena against Queens and West Georgia. North Alabama started the week with an 87-62 victory versus the Royals before capping the weekend with an 82-73 triumph against the Wolves. UNA improved to 8-3 at home this season while moving over .500 record-wise at 11-10 overall.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: The Lions had their two highest shooting percentages as a team against the Royals and Wolves, finishing with 51.9 percent against Queens and 51.7 percent against West Georgia. The contests marked UNA's highest field-goal team percentage since Bethel on Dec. 28, 2024 (51.6 percent), also marking the highest in Atlantic Sun Conference action since the 90-89 overtime win at Bellarmine in the conference opener (50.8 percent).
SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA: North Florida enters with a 4-19 record on the year while still looking for its first win in ASUN play. The Ospreys also look to snap an 11-game skid and will take on Central Arkansas Saturday to conclude the weekend. North Florida is led by second year head coach Erika Lambert.
SERIES HISTORY: The Lions and Ospreys will play for the 13th time with UNA leading the series, 7-5. North Alabama earned its fourth straight win against North Florida last time out, taking a 65-54 victory in CB&S Bank Arena on Jan. 18.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE: Jacksonville enters the weekend at 11-11 overall and 5-5 in the ASUN. The Dolphins have been victorious in four of their last five contests. Last time out, Jacksonville took a 91-83 road win over Bellarmine on Feb. 1. Jacksonville is coached by head coach Special Jennings.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama and Jacksonville play in the 12th all-time meeting on Saturday. The Lions hold a 10-1 series lead over the Dolphins, including a 73-57 home win in CB&S Bank Arena in January. UNA has won the previous seven games in the series.
THE SECOND UNIT: The Lions enter the week as one of the best teams in scoring from the second unit. North Alabama is ranked first in the conference in bench points per game, averaging 26.7 across 21 games. UNA is also ranked among the top 25 in the NCAA, ranking 24th nationally in bench scoring.
BOUND FOR REBOUNDS: The Lions are first in the Atlantic Sun Conference in total rebounds, averaging 40.3 per game. North Alabama also holds the top spot in rebounding margin (+5.8) and defensive rebounds (28.1 per game). UNA's effort on the glass is also among the top 50 teams nationally, ranking 36th in defensive rebounds and 43rd in rebounds per game. India Howard (6.9 per game), Jazzy Klinge (6.2) and Alyssa Clutter (5.3) all rank in the top 25 in ASUN rebounding.
LEADERBOARD LIONS: North Alabama is among the top ASUN teams in regular and three-point field-goal percentage, assists and blocked shots. UNA ranks tied for second in team field-goal percentage (43.1 percent) while second in three-point field goal percentage (34.5 percent). The Lions are third in blocked shots, averaging 3.11 per game, with North Alabama also third in assists with 13.95 per game.
THE BLOCK LIST: Three Lions rank among the top shot blockers in India Howard, Jazzy Klinge and Katie Criswell. Howard (1.4 per game) is fourth in the league, with Klinge (0.5) tied for 17th. Criswell (0.4) rounds out the leaderboard Lions, tied for 21st in the conference.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: North Alabama has had two players finish with double-doubles on the season in Howard and Clutter. Howard has four on the season, recently adding two more against Stetson and North Florida. The junior averaged 10 points and 14 rebounds in the two games against the Hatters and Ospreys. Clutter has two on the season with a 14-point, 11-rebound outing at Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 17 points and 17 rebounds at Bellarmine.
CHARITY'S CASE: Charity Gallegos leads North Alabama in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game to rank tied for eighth in the ASUN. Gallegos has also been the primary playmaker for the Lions, averaging the fourth-most assists in the ASUN with 3.9 per game. She was named the ASUN Conference's Player and Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 30, 2024 after a 25-7-7 stat line against Bethel. Gallegos earned her 1,500th career point in the Lions' home win versus Queens on Jan. 30.
HOWARD HOLDS IT DOWN: Junior India Howard has had a knack for blocking shots, enforcing her defensive presence with 26 blocks in 20 games. She's currently fourth in the ASUN in the category with 1.4 blocks per game. Howard is also just inside the top 10 in rebounds in the conference, ranking tied for 10th with 6.9 per game.
SUPER CAM: Cameron Jones is having a career year in her third season, with the Broadview Heights, Ohio native averaging a career-high 8.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. Jones has set multiple single-game career highs on the season, including a 17-point performance against Denver and nine rebounds against both Nebraska and Bellarmine.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
