STARKVILLE, Miss. (November 14, 2023) – The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team were within three points of tying Mississippi State midway through the second half, but a late surge by the Bulldogs resulted in an 81-54 defeat for the Lions on Tuesday in Starkville. 

 

One season after defeating Ole Miss 66-65 in Oxford for the first SEC win in program history, North Alabama had intentions of similar results with a close eight-point margin at the break. A personal 7-0 scoring run by graduate transfer Tim Smith Jr. cut it to three in the second half, but the Bulldogs shot over 50 percent the rest of the way to keep the lead. 

 

The Lions were led by Smith Jr. and senior KJ Johnson with 11 points, while juniors Will Soucie and Josiah Fulcher added seven points each. Fulcher and senior Damian Forrest had five rebounds to lead the Lions, while five others added at least three boards. 

 

Jimmy Bell Jr. led the Bulldogs with game-highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double to go with three blocks. 

 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

 

FIRST HALF: For the second time in three games, Tim Smith Jr. started the scoring for North Alabama with a shot in the paint, then Mississippi State answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead. The Lions played catch-up in the first half, overcoming an early 13-point deficit to pull within five at 29-24 with 2:56 remaining. A transition three-pointer from Josiah Fulcher started the spurt, followed by a Fulcher steal at the other end finished by Will Soucie. Forrest and Fulcher had the final two baskets of the half to make it 36-28 at the break. 

 

SECOND HALF: The second half started just like the first half, as Smith Jr. scored a second-chance layup to open scoring and make it a two-possession game. He later scored a step back 17-footer and and a triple behind the arc to make it 38-35. The Bulldogs tightened up and went on a 10-0 run to make it 48-35 with 14:23 remaining. At this point, both teams were shooting over 40 percent from the floor, but the Bulldogs were able to maintain this percentage the rest of the way to pull ahead in the late stages. 

 

 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

 

• UNA has scored first in all three games so far this season. Two of the three saw Tim Smith Jr. open with the first basket of the game. 

 

• The Lions shot 34 percent on the night, shooting 21-62, but were hovering near 50 percent midway through the second half. MSU finished 47 percent, going 32-68. 

 

• Smith Jr., Soucie, Fulcher and Marco Foster all had triples for UNA. 

 

• Smith Jr. and Jacari Lane led UNA with three steals defensively. Smith Jr. and Fulcher also had a block, as well as Forrest and Micah Clark. 

 

• Despite a physical front court, the Lions scored the majority of their points in the paint with 30. 

 

• For the third straight game, UNA had at least nine players score at least one basket.  

   

COMING UP NEXT 

 

The Lions make their return to CB&S Bank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 18 to host in-state rival Jacksonville State in non-conference action. Opening tip is set for 7:15 p.m. in Florence. 

 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.