FLORENCE, Ala. (November 29, 2023) – The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team will battle Tennessee Tech in a regular season game for the first time in over 70 years this Thursday night, welcoming the Golden Eagles for a 7 p.m. tip inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence. 

Thursday’s game is sponsored by First Bank. There will also be a Teddy Bear Toss to support Bank Independent’s Toy Share Drive. Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear or stuffed animal to toss on the court at halftime.  

Also, UNA’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee is accepting canned food donations and other items such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner and feminine hygiene products to help those in need during the holidays. Fans are encouraged to bring those items to the entrance of CB&S Bank Arena. 

Premium Seating at CB&S Bank Arena inside Flowers Hall is sold out for the year, but general admission season tickets and single game tickets are still available. For ticket information, contact bbond@una.edu, call 256-765-5466 or visit online at this link. 

Parking is available to the general public along the streets of Circular Road and Stewart Avenue, as well as the parking lot in front of Rice and Rivers Hall and the parking garage. Lots A-C at The Bill Jones Athletic Complex and below the arena are reserved parking spaces. There is also paid parking below the Science Building off Circular Road. 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION 

Game: North Alabama vs. Tennessee Tech 

Date: Thursday, November 30 

Time: 7:00 p.m. 

Location: Florence, Ala. 

Venue: CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall 

Capacity: 2,223 

Watch: ESPN+ — "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray (PxP) & Matt Daniels (Analyst) 

Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM — Bryan Neece 

Live Stats: StatBroadcast 

UNA Game Notes: Click here 

Tickets: Click here 

Social Media: @UNA_Basketball 

NOTES 

SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has a 3-3 record with three home wins and three losses on the road. In six games, the Lions are scoring 76.2 points per game with 75.5 allowed for a near-even 0.7 positive scoring margin. The Lions also rank among the top 50 teams in the nation (out of 362) in both free throw percentage and three-point percentage. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Tennessee Tech enters with a 2-5 record with wins over Midway and Presbyterian. The Lions and Golden Eagles are both coming off losses to Western Carolina, with Tennessee Tech falling 69-65 at home last night. TTU is scoring 66.9 points per game with 76.0 points allowed per game. The Golden Eagles are among the top-100 teams in ball protection with just 11.0 turnovers per game. 

SERIES HISTORY: UNA and Tennessee Tech had two prior meetings — both during the 1950-51 season. UNA won the first meeting to open that season, while Tennessee Tech won the second meeting. Both were in Cookeville, making Thursday the first meeting between the two in Florence. This marks the first game of a home-and-home between UNA and Tennessee Tech this season with the return trip set for Dec. 16. 

LAST TIME OUT: The last two outings for UNA came on the road against tough competition, including a 105-103 double-overtime loss to UT Martin and a 81-63 loss to undefeated Western Carolina. The Catamounts are one of just 22 remaining undefeated teams in Division I basketball at the time of writing and are now ranked No. 10 in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll. 

LAST TIME AT HOME: UNA pulled off a thrilling 61-59 win over Jacksonville State on Nov. 18 in the last home game, as KJ Johnson sank the go-ahead layup with 1.9 seconds to go. The senior rattled off 14 points in the final 4:31 of the contest, which accounts for all 14 of UNA’s final points. This run of scoring started with UNA down 48-47, as Johnson sank two free throws to take the lead. He finished with 23 points in the rivalry win. 

HOME SWEET HOME: Over the last two seasons, UNA owns a 12-4 record at home inside CB&S Bank Arena. In six seasons under head coach Tony Pujol, the Lions are 24-2 in non-conference home contests. 

MOVING ON UP: Johnson leads all active ASUN players and ranks 78th all-time in the league in career scoring with 1,343 points. He’s scored in double figures all six games this season and is well above his single-season career-high of 13.5 PPG from 2020-21 with 17.0 PPG this season. 

ANOTHER MR. 1K: Graduate transfer Tim Smith Jr. scored his 1,000th career point in the last home game with four points in the second half. He entered this season with 963 career points, most of which came in two seasons at Division II Walsh University. He now has 37 points over four games at UNA. 

BUILDING ON SUCCESS: North Alabama finished with an 18-15 record last season, representing the most single-season wins since the Lions made the jump to NCAA Division I in 2018-19. 

HUNTING ANOTHER POSTSEASON RUN: Last season, UNA played in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) to mark the first postseason tournament in the program’s NCAA Division I history. Prior to that, UNA’s last postseason appearance was an NCAA Regional in 2013-14. UNA has participated in 14 NCAA Tournaments (all Division II), including five Final Four appearances and two National Championship wins. 

THE ART OF BALANCE: The Lions have 16 players on the 2023-24 roster, including eight returning lettermen and eight newcomers. Of this group, there are three freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors, three seniors and one graduate student. 

PUJOL CONTINUES PROGRAM GROWTH: Pujol enters his sixth season as the head coach at North Alabama, serving as the first and only coach of UNA’s Division I era. Pujol enters Thursday’s game against Tennessee Tech with 66 wins over six seasons. 

STRENGTH IN STAFF: The UNA men’s basketball coaching staff experienced some restructuring this offseason, including the promotion of Ahmad Smith to Associate Head Coach and Sean Foley to Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Additions to the staff include Austin Burnette as an assistant coach, Landon Travis to handle basketball operations and Eric Wagenlander to direct efforts in player development. Assistant Coach Carter Heston and Director of Sport Performance Leo Stern also return from last year’s staff. 

PRESEASON POLLS: North Alabama was picked seventh of 12 teams in the preseason coaches and media poll for the ASUN. The Lions received one first place vote in the coaches poll. EKU was picked to win in both polls. 

ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK: UNA’s first six games happened on six different days of the week. The only day UNA has not played on is Friday, which will not happen until the regular season finale at Central Arkansas on March 1. UNA has wins on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. 

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

AUBURN, Ala. – Johni Broome dominated Virginia Tech to the tune of 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead Auburn to a 74-57 victory in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge Wednesday at Neville Arena, the Tigers’ fifth straight win and 48TH consecutive non-conference home triumph.

Valuing possessions at an elite level, Auburn committed a season-low eight turnovers while forcing 21, leading to a commanding 30-5 lead in points off turnovers. 

Tre Donaldson scored seven consecutive Auburn points early in the second half to restore the Tigers’ double-digit lead after Virginia Tech had gotten within seven. 

Broome took over from there, scoring 14 points in the second half after netting 16 in the first.

The Tigers won by 17 points despite making only 2 of 16 3-point attempts, holding Virginia Tech 27.5-percent shooting. 

Students in The Jungle, who filled their courtside seats 90 minutes before tipoff, chanted “SEC, SEC!” as the game concluded.  

Auburn led 33-24 at the half after holding the Hokies to 33-percent shooting and forcing 12 turnovers while committing only four. 

The Tigers took an early 18-4 lead with Baker-Mazara accounting for half of those points, including going 5-fo-5 from the free-throw line. Baker-Mazara filled up the box score in the half with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Broome stole a pass, left the ball for Aden Holloway and sprinted downcourt to receive and slam Holloway’s no-look lob to put Auburn ahead 25-10. 

After a 9-0 Virginia Tech run pulled the Hokies within six points, Broome stopped the run with a dunk, then made a pair of free throws before VT scored the last four points of the half.

Both teams struggled from 3-point range in the half, with Chaney Johnson accounting for Auburn’s only make in 11 attempts while the Hokies were 1-for-7. 

Auburn (5-1) travels to Boone, North Carolina, Saturday to play Appalachian State at noon CT on ESPN2.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 23/20 Alabama men’s basketball team dropped an 85-77 decision to Clemson in the ACC/SEC Challenge Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum.

Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide (5-2) with a game-high 23 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists in the losing effort. Aaron Estrada (16) and Grant Nelson (14) also reached double digits.

The Tigers’ (6-0) PJ Hall finished with a team-best 21 points to lead four players in double figures. Ian Schieffelin finished with nine points and a game-high 14 boards.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“I just want to address the great crowd. I thought the student section was great. So, I just want to make sure we thank them. We'll have to see if the team can come out and play some better basketball for them. I thought (Clemson's) physicality bothered us on both ends, on their offensive end I thought that they [went inside] and hurt us in the first half. So our big’s need to do a better job. Our guards couldn't get downhill and they were very physical on our drives just couldn't really get in the paint to trade much. I think we were 12-for-32 from two on the night, which we've been one of the number one offense’s in the country. So, I think a lot of it is being able to get to and finish at the rim. They did not have a lot of real rim protection, but they just didn't let you really get to the rim. They did a great job and we finished 10-of-24 at the rim so we didn't handle their physicality well. We aren't getting downhill and creating help, threes end up being tougher threes, and we didn't shoot well from three. We just got to do a lot better job. I thought defensively we were good. Offense struggled, defense kept us in the game then offense came alive in the second half. I think we had three straight threes and went on a little run. Went up seven, they called a timeout and we don't have enough defensive drive to get stops. We have to get better on defense so we know what we have to do. Show some pride on the defensive end and we got to do a better job as a program.”

TEAM STATS

• Clemson finished the game shooting 53 percent (32-60) from the floor and 52 percent (11-21) from beyond the arc including knocking down 8-11 (73 percent) in the second half alone
• In comparison, the Tide shot 42 percent (23-67) from the field and 31 percent (11-35) from deep
• Alabama finished with a 16-8 advantage on the offensive glass but that translated into just 11 second chance points (outscored 12-11 in the category)
• The contest featured seven ties and six lead changes
• The Tigers reserves outscored the Tide’s bench 24-12

FIRST HALF

• The Tide trailed by as many as eight points early, 25-17, thanks in large part to missing its first nine three-point attempts
• Alabama rallied to finish the half 4-9 from deep while limiting Clemson to three baskets across its final 11 possessions to cut the lead to one, 33-32, at the half
• The Tide accumulated five first half steals, leading to an 8-0 advantage on the fast break
• Mark Sears (9) and Aaron Estrada (9) combined for 18 of the Tides’ 32 first half points

SECOND HALF

• With the score tied at 44-apiece with 15:21 left to play, Alabama went on a 9-2 spurt to take a 53-46 lead
• Immediately following a timeout, Clemson scored 16 of the game’s next 18 points over the next 3:05 to take control of the game at 62-55 with 9:47 remaining
• The Tigers would go on to lead by as many as 10 points before settling for the eight-point win

UP NEXT

• Alabama returns to action Monday, Dec. 4, facing Arkansas State in Coleman Coliseum
• The game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. CT and air live on the SEC Network

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

AUBURN, Ala. – Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond with 32 seconds left to lift the No. 8/8/8 Crimson Tide football team to a 27-24 victory over Auburn Saturday afternoon in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

With the Tide (11-1, 8-0 SEC) trailing 24-20 and facing 4^th-and-31, Milroe found Bond for a game-winning 31-yard score to snatch the victory away from the Tigers (6-6, 3-5 SEC).

Alabama used a balanced offensive attack to pile up 451 yards of total offense, including 259 through the air and 192 on the ground. Milroe led the Crimson Tide’s offense with 366 total yards which included 259 on 16-of-24 passing and 107 yards rushing across 18 attempts.

Bond finished the game with a team-leading five catches for 75 yards and a score, while Jermaine Burton had four catches for a team-high 107 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Jalen Key returned to the lineup to lead UA with seven tackles, while Deontae Lawson, also returning from an absence, finished second at five total stops, including one sack (-3 yards). Dallas Turner contributed four tackles, including two for loss and a sack, to go with a quarterback hurry. Lawson and Turner helped the Tide finish with 6.0 TFLs (-41 yards) and four sacks (-28 yards) by day’s end.

Notes

• Alabama’s win was the 19^th fourth-quarter victory under head coach Nick Saban.
• Saturday’s Iron Bowl win was the Tide’s 11^th of the season. It marks the 26^th time in program history that UA has recorded an 11-win season and the 14^th under Saban.
• The 2023 campaign also marks the 12^th straight season with 11 wins under Saban, the longest streak of its kind in Southeastern Conference history.
• Alabama finished the season a perfect 8-0 in SEC play to mark the sixth perfect conference finish during the Saban era. The Tide also went 8-0 in 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2018 and finished 2020 at 10-0.
• With his nine points on the night (three PATs, two field goals), placekicker Will Reichard is now tied at 530 points with Keenan Reynolds (Navy) for the NCAA career points record.
• Reichard is now second on the Alabama career field goals list with 80. He trails only Leigh Tiffin’s mark of 83.

How It Happened

FIRST QUARTER 

• 10:53 – UA | The Crimson Tide struck first when Roydell Williams crossed the goal line from two-yards out capping an eight-play, 69-yard drive in 3:30
• 05:00 – AU | The Tigers answered when Damari Alston found the end zone from four-yards out finishing off a five-play, 68-yard drive lasting 2:14

SECOND QUARTER

• 14:09 – UA | Will Reichard converted a 32-yard field goal to finish off a 12-play, 56-yard drive in 5:51
• 02:24 – AU | Ja’Varrius Johnson crossed the goal line from 12-yards out to end a three-play, 88-yard drive that lasted 1:08
• 01:33 – UA | Jalen Milroe connected with Jermaine Burton for a 68-yard receiving touchdown finishing a three-play, 81-yard drive in 0:44

THIRD QUARTER

• 09:12 – UA | Alabama opened the second half with a 22-yard field goal from Reichard for the second time today ending a 12-play, 71-yard drive in 5:48
• 06:36 – AU | Payton Thorne connected with Johnson for a 27-yard receiving touchdown finishing off a five-play, 75-yard drive lasting 2:36

FOURTH QUARTER

• 10:15 – AU | Alex McPherson connected on a 21-yard field goal to close out a 16-play, 72-yard drive that took 8:18 off the clock
• 00:32  – UA | Isiah Bond got his foot down for the 31-yard game winning score. His catch from Milroe capped the Tide’s nine-play drive that lasted 4:16

Up Next

• Alabama will take on No. 1/1/1 Georgia in the 2023 SEC Championship game which will be played in Atlanta
• The contest will kick off at 3 p.m. CT and be televised by CBS

NICEVILLE, Fla. – The No. 17/15 Alabama men’s basketball team ended the Emerald Coast Classic with a win over Oregon, 99-91, Saturday afternoon at Raider Arena for its fifth win of the season. The Crimson Tide was led by Mark Sears scoring a season-high 27 points and was named to the Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament team.

Aaron Estrada filled the stat sheet with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Rylan Griffen scored a season-high 17 points. Oregon (4-2) was led by Jermaine Couisnard with a team-high 24 points.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“It is good to come out of here with a win. We didn’t play our best basketball against Ohio State, they did a great job and we challenged our guys to be better on defense and I thought we played a lot harder. Mark (Sears) played significantly harder, was really locked in tonight and led our team in blue collar points and ended up with seven rebounds as a guard. He drove the ball downhill and I thought he was really into it on defense and I thought our team was better defensively. We are still making way too many defensive mistakes but I thought our effort was good. We did a better job on the glass, we stepped up to the free throw line and only missed two free throws so to go 26-28 from the line is impressive.”

Team Stats

• Alabama had four players score double figures in Aaron Estrada (22 points), Rylan Griffen (17 points), Grant Nelson (11 points) and led by Mark Sears with a team-high 27 points
• UA shot a season-best 92 percent (26-28) from the free throw line 
• The Crimson Tide shot 50 percent (32-64) from the floor
• Alabama matched its season-high in blocks (6) as a team
• The Tide outrebounded Oregon 40-28

First Half

• Alabama led 47-39 at the break
• Every UA player that saw playing time (nine players) in the first half scored for UA led by Mark Sears’ 13 points
• Alabama trailed 21-18 at the 9:29 mark and Alabama went on a 12-1 to take a 30-22 lead
• The Crimson Tide outscored Oregon 20-16 inside the paint
• Alabama dished out 10 assists off 17 made field goals

Second Half

• Midway through the half Alabama jumped out to its first double-digit lead (67-56) with just under 13 minutes left in the game
• Alabama’s biggest lead of the game was 18 points (81-63) with eight minutes left in the game
• Oregon cut Alabama’s lead to single digits with four minutes left in the game (88-79) and cut its as low as six points on three separate occasions
• Despite making a comeback, Alabama was 19-20 from the free throw line in the second half
• Aaron Estrada led all scorers in the second half with 15 points

Up Next

• Alabama will return home to compete against Clemson in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday, Nov. 28
• Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn scored the first dozen points on its way to a 34-point halftime lead in a resounding 84-54 victory over Alabama A&M Tuesday at Neville Arena, the Tigers’ fourth consecutive win.

The 12-0 start was a preview of coming attractions, including a 7-0 spurt that gave the Tigers a 15-point lead and a 19-0 run late in the first half that overwhelmed the visiting Bulldogs.

“We haven’t put two halves together yet,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Great first half tonight, but we haven’t put two together. That’s for me to figure out. I’m disappointed. That first-half team can win some games. That second-half team couldn’t win an SEC game.”

Chaney Johnson led Auburn with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 17 productive minutes.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Johnson said. “I try not to let missed shots mess with me. I just go out and play and the shots are going to fall eventually.”

“I thought Chaney was terrific all game long,” Pearl said. “He was physicial, he was athletic and played well defensively. I’m so happy for him. He did really well tonight. He’s in the gym all the time, too.”

Aden Hollway added 13 points while Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome each reached double figures with 10 points. 

Dylan Cardwell grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with six assists. 

“It sets the tone for the rest of the game,” Caldwell said of the fast start. “A team that has 10 guys who can score is very hard to scout for.”

Both halves began with 3-pointers from Holloway, who started alongside backcourt mate Tre Donaldson in a lineup that featured Cardwell, Williams and Chris Moore.

“The starting five came out and played like they were playing against Kentucky or Duke,” Johnson said. “That really helps us.”

The Tigers led 49-15 after a first half that saw Auburn distribute 13 assists while committing only one turnover. 

“We really shared it in the first half, but I didn’t think we shared it in the second half,” Pearl said. “It’s about valuing possessions and executing.”

Auburn cooled off a bit in the second half after extending its lead in the opening minutes.

Baker-Mazara grabbed a defensive rebound, drove the length of the floor and served an alley-oop that Broome slammed for a 60-18 advantage.

The Tigers led by 43 before the Bulldogs shaved 15 points off their deficit while Auburn went nearly seven minutes without a field goal midway through the half. Alabama A&M outscored Auburn 39-35 in the second half, aided by 12 Tiger turnovers.

“We’re looking forward to putting a good game together all the way through,” Cardwell said. “We have to be more disciplined and locked in in the second half.”

After Thanksgiving break, Auburn (4-1) hosts Virginia Tech next Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the ACC/SEC Challenge at 8:15 p.m. CT on ESPN2 at Neville Arena.

ALABAMA A&M POSTGAME NOTES

>> Auburn improved to 4-0 in the all-time series with Alabama A&M and is 37-0 all-time against current members of the SWAC.

>> It was the 41st-consecutive sellout (9,121) at Neville Arena.

>> Auburn held Alabama A&M to 15 points in the first half. It is the fewest points the Tigers have held an opponent to in the first half since holding Troy to 10 first-half points on Dec. 19, 2020. It was third-fewest points in any half in Neville Arena history. Auburn held Alabama A&M to 54 points for the game, which is a season low by an opponent this season.

>> The Tigers committed only one turnover in the first half. 

>> Auburn scored the first 12 points of the game on its way to an 84-54 victory. The 30-point win is the Tigers’ largest margin of victory since beating Missouri 89-56 last season.

>> Auburn’s 84 points are two points off the Tigers’ season-high 86 points against Southeastern Louisiana. Auburn has topped the 80-point mark in four of its five games this season. The Tigers, who are averaging 82.4 points per game, have scored at least 77 points in every game.

>> The Tigers have now won 47 consecutive games over a non-conference opponent inside Neville Arena.

>> Auburn scored a season-high 49 bench points on Tuesday night. It is the fourth time the Tigers have scored at least 30 bench points and the second time they have scored at least 40 bench points this season. The Tigers’ reserves are averaging 37.8 points per game and have scored 45.9 percent of the team’s points this season.

>> Auburn outrebounded Alabama A&M, 48-27. The 21+ rebounding margin was the Tigers’ largest since outrebounding Missouri, 48-26, last season.

>> Auburn finished with 19 assists on 26 field goals led by Chad Baker-Mazara’s career-high six assists. The Tigers have recorded at least 18 assists in all five games this season and are averaging 20.0 assists per game. AU has assisted on 71.9 percent of its baskets this season.

>> Auburn scored a season-high 40 points in the paint, including nine dunks, in the win over Alabama A&M. The Tigers’ previous season high was 38 points in the paint against Notre Dame.

>> Auburn set season highs with 26 free throws and 36 free-throw attempts against Alabama A&M. The Tigers’ previous season highs came in their last game against St. Bonaventure when they made 19-of-27 from the line.

>> A season-high 11 Tigers scored in the win over Alabama A&M.

>> Chaney Johnson led four players in double figures with a season-high 15 points on 6-of-8 field goals. Johnson is the ninth different Tiger who has a double-figure scoring game this season. He added four rebounds, two steals and one block in the win.

>> Freshman Aden Holloway finished with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go with two assists and one rebound against Alabama A&M. He has scored in double figures in four of his first five career games and is averaging 13.2 points per game. Holloway has made 15 shots from long range on the season.

>> Johni Broome recorded his fifth-straight game in double figures to start the season and his 14th-straight dating back to last season. He is averaging 15.8 points over his last 14 games.

>> Jaylin Williams scored 10 points on 3-of-4 field goals in the win over Alabama A&M. It marked his third-straight game in double figures and the 45th of his career. Williams is averaging 10.7 points on 63.2 percent shooting from the field over his last three games.

>> Tre Donaldson started for the third time in his career after starting the first two games this season. Dylan Cardwell picked up his second career start versus Alabama A&M and his first since starting against Texas Southern last season.

>> Jaylin Williams and Chris Moore are the only Tigers who have started all five games this season.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 22/22 Alabama men’s basketball team claimed its fourth-straight win to open the 2023-24 season with a 98-67 win over the Mercer Bears Friday night inside Coleman Coliseum.

The Crimson Tide (4-0) connected on 14 of its first 16 shots from the field and never looked back, leading by as many as 38 points (97-59) before settling for the 31-point victory.

Alabama was led by Mark Sears’ 26 points and six assists to help the Tide extend its home winning streak to 19 straight wins, 15 of which have been won by double-digits. In addition to Sears’ output, Nick Pringle (14), Jarin Stevenson (14) and Aaron Estrada (10) also scored double digits.

The Bears (1-3) were led by Jalyn McCreary scoring 17 points and collecting eight rebounds.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“I thought it was a good start. We shot 79 percent in the first half, that's pretty good offense. I didn't think we did a great job of playing like we needed to the whole 20 minutes of the second half and sometimes it's hard when you're up (big). We got up by 30 at one point, but we didn't close the game well and we have to start doing a better job of that. We've got some depth I think we've been able to play, it looks like all our scholarship guys are double digit minutes tonight. 

“If you look at these next seven games coming up, we've got some tough ones so we need to be ready to go. We’ve got a week off between games and Ohio State is going to be tough. Their guard is much better than what we've been guarding. Our defense could have improved, but I think it was a good first four games for us. Particularly with a new squad I thought the chemistry had been good. We took care of the ball for the most part tonight. Large portion of the game we had no turnovers to a team that was second in country in turnover rate on defense. Lots of good things again, but we got some work to do here next week before we play Ohio State. 

TEAM STATS

• As a result of hitting 14 of its first 16 shots from the field, Alabama went on to shoot 79 percent in the first half which is the first time the Tide shot 70 percent or better in a half since Nov. 29, 2019 vs. Southern Miss
• The Tide shot 59 percent (35-59) from the field, 42 percent (8-19) from deep and 69 percent (20-29) from the line
• In comparison, Mercer shot 41 percent (26-64) from the floor, 21 percent (3-14) from beyond-the-arc and 52 percent (12-23) from the stripe
• UA led in virtually all categories including a 26-14 advantage on the fast break and a 44-30 rebounding advantage

FIRST HALF

• Alabama started the game converting its first nine shots
• The Crimson Tide only missed six shots (23-29) headed into the locker room
• UA scored on its first 14 possessions to begin the game
• Mark Sears led the Tide with 19 points, five assists and three boards at the break
• Alabama’s defense held Mercer without a field goal over the final 2:51 of the half
• UA shot 79 percent (23-29) from the floor, 75 percent (6-8) from downtown and 67 percent (4-6) from the line

SECOND HALF

• Alabama held Mercer without a field goal over the final 2:30
• The Tide scored 19 of its’ 26 fast break points after the break
• Aaron Estrada scored eight of his 10 points in the second half
• Nick Pringle also scored eight of his season-high 14 points in the second stanza

UP NEXT

• Alabama heads to Destin, Fla., where it will compete in the Emerald Coast Classic, held at Northwest Florida State College
• The Crimson Tide will open the event Friday, Nov. 24, when it takes on the Ohio State Buckeyes
• Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will stream live on FloHoops

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – It was déjà vu for Auburn on Friday night. Four years after hoisting the Legends Classic trophy at midcourt at the Barclays Center, the Tigers were back on the same court hosting the same trophy as winners of the 2023 Legends Classic.

This year’s Auburn team beat St. Bonaventure 77-60 in the championship game and outscored their two opponents in Brooklyn (St. Bonaventure and Notre Dame) by a combined 41 points.

“That’s a good win,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “That’s a good St. Bonaventure team. Everybody knows what a great coach Mark Schmidt is and the job that he does. I’m proud of our kids for making history.”

The Tigers were led by Johni Broome who had a team high 18 points Friday and was named the Tournament MVP after averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games. 

“Honestly, I didn’t know that I would get MVP,” Broome said. “I was just happy for my teammates, especially Dylan Cardwell. I wasn’t really playing the best toward the end of the game, and he came in and made great plays, made six free throws, 6 for 6. He played unbelievable minutes.”

In Thursday’s 24-point win over Notre Dame, Auburn pulled away with a run at the beginning of the second half. On Friday night, the run came at the end of the first half as the Tigers closed the half on a 13-3 run to take a 48-28 lead into the locker room.

Freshman point guard Aden Holloway started the run with a 3-pointer. Broome made a tough lay-up inside. After St. Bonaventure made a 3, Chad Baker-Mazara responded with a 3-pointer of his own to swing the momentum back. Then senior Jaylin Williams nearly brought the house down with a steal and a left-handed windmill dunk in transition before Holloway found Denver Jones for another 3-pointer at the buzzer. 

“The last few minutes of the first half was pretty exciting basketball,” Pearl said. “You don’t always quite get on ones like that, but obviously we took control of the game.”

“Coach decided to go small and put Jaylin Williams at the 5,” Broome said. “They were quicker out there. He had an electric dunk. And we just fed off that energy. We hit a 3 ball and then another one to end the half. It just gave us energy and momentum going into halftime.”

Four years ago, it was Isaac Okoro who made Sportscenter’s Top 10 with his dunk in the Legends Classic championship. This year, it was Jaylin Williams. 

The fifth-year senior finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds to record his second career double-double. He was named to the Legends Classic All-Tournament Team along with Broome after averaging 11.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in Auburn’s two victories.

Jones’ 3 at the horn was one of three from long range for the FIU transfer who also scored in double figures with 12 points against St. Bonaventure. It was his second game in double figures this season and the 48th of his career.

K.D. Johnson just missed double figures with nine points while Holloway and Cardwell each chipped in eight points. Cardwell was 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the closing minutes.

With the win, it marks the second straight year Auburn has won an in-season tournament after winning the Cancun Challenge last season. The Tigers will return home to Neville Arena next week and face Alabama A&M on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

ST. BONAVENTURE POSTGAME NOTES

>> Auburn’s victory evens the all-time series against St. Bonaventure, 1-1. The Bonnies won the only previous meeting between the two teams 77-73 in the 1967 Tampa Invitational.

>> Auburn improved to 6-0 all-time in the Legends Classic with titles in 2019 and 2023.

>> The Tigers won an in-season tournament for the second-straight year after being crowned the Cancun Challenge Riviera Division Champions last November in Cancun, Mexico.

>> Auburn had three players in double figures led by Johni Broome’s 18 points on 7-of-11 field goals to go with five rebounds and an assist. Broome has scored in double figures in 13-straight games including all four games this season. He is averaging 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds during the stretch and 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this season. Broome averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games in the Legends Classic. He was named MVP.

>> Denver Jones added 12 points on 3-of-3 three-pointers and finished the night with three assists and two rebounds. It is Jones’s second game in double figures this season and the 48th of his career. He is shooting 7-of-13 from long range this season.

>> Jaylin Williams recorded his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against St. Bonaventure. Williams’s first double-double was against Saint Joseph’s (another Atlantic 10 Conference member) in the 2020-21 season opener. He averaged 11.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games in the Legends Classic. Williams was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Broome.

>> Auburn scored 24 points off 16 St. Bonaventure turnovers. In two games in the Legends Classic, the Tigers scored 48 points off 29 turnovers.

>> Auburn assisted on 20-of-25 field goals against St. Bonaventure. For the season, the Tigers are averaging 20.0 assists per game and have assisted on 70.8 percent of their field goals. Nine different Tigers recorded an assist in Friday’s win.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Playing on the big stage in the Big Apple, Auburn used balanced scoring and fast starts in each half to defeat Notre Dame 83-59 Thursday in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.

“The second half was the best we’ve looked in the second half in a while,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said of the Tigers’ 44-26 advantage. “I think the guys are definitely locked in. We did what we were supposed to do tonight. We played great second half defense. It’s a good win for our league.”

Auburn will play St. Bonaventure Friday in the championship game. The Bonnies beat Oklahoma State 66-64 in Thursday’s first game.

Aden Holloway and Johni Broome each scored 15 points to lead five Tigers in double figures. Jaylin Williams added 11 points while Tre Donaldson and Chris Moore each scored 10.

Holloway and Donaldson combined for 10 assists with only two turnovers.

“Outstanding point guard play. Aden and Tre have done a great job all year long,” Pearl said. “They’ve had great competition all summer and fall. We’re going to have a good point guard out there at all times. We shared the ball well.”

Leading 39-33 at the half, the Tigers opened the second half with 13 consecutive points, including a 4-point play from Holloway. 

Moore’s putback put the Tigers ahead 54-34 at the 16:20 mark of the second half. Broome’s 3-pointer gave Auburn a 24-point lead. 

Auburn dominated the boards early in the second half, outrebounding Notre Dame 10-1 in the opening minutes to overcome a first half rebounding disadvantage. 

The Tigers shot 53.4 percent for the game while holding Notre Dame to 33.9 percent shooting. Notre Dame was 0-for-13 on 3-pointers in the second half and just 2-for-26 for the game, a 7.7-percent clip.

“Holding Notre Dame to 22 percent away from our bench like that, the guys took pride in it,” Pearl said. 

Auburn raced out to a quick double-digit lead thanks to a 9-0 run that included three Broome buckets and a Holloway 3-pointer. 

Donaldson’s steal and 3-pointer, followed by another Donaldson jumper, extended the lead, which reached 14 points on Williams’ 3-pointer. 

Holloway’s 3-pointer gave Auburn its biggest lead of the half at 34-19 with 3:51 to play before Notre Dame closed the half on a 14-5 run while hitting 5 of its last 6 shots.

While Auburn shot 53.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the first half, the Fighting Irish missed their first 11 3-pointers before making their last two.

Notre Dame stayed in the game by grabbing nine offensive rebounds and scoring 11 second-chance points while outrebounding Auburn 21-13 in the half before the Tigers got the best of the boards in the second half.

The Tigers (2-1) and Bonnies tip off Friday at 6 p.m. CT on the Auburn Sports Network.

“We have an opportunity to win a championship tomorrow,” Pearl said. “Let’s see if we can keep getting better.”

NOTRE DAME POSTGAME NOTES

>> Tonight’s game was the first-ever meeting between Auburn and Notre Dame.

>> Auburn improved to 5-0 all-time in the Legends Classic after winning the event in 2019 with home wins over CSUN and Colgate and victories over New Mexico and Richmond in Brooklyn.

>> The 24-point win is Auburn’s largest margin of victory against a power conference opponent in non-conference play since beating Nebraska, 99-68, in 2021.

>> Auburn has scored at least 82 points in all three games and is averaging 83.7 points per game to begin the season. It is the first time the Tigers have scored at least 80 points in three-straight games since doing so in six-straight games during the 2021-22 season.

>> Auburn had five players in double figures against Notre Dame. It was the first time the Tigers have had at least five players score in double figures since six players scored in double figures against Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

>> Auburn shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the field against the Irish. It was the Tigers’ highest field-goal percentage since shooting 56.3 percent against Georgia last season.

>> Auburn made 9-of-20 from 3-point range against Notre Dame. The Tigers are averaging 9.7 3-pointers per game on 40.8 percent shooting on the season.

>> Auburn scored 24 points off 13 Notre Dame turnovers. It is the Tigers’ most points off turnovers since scoring 25 points off turnovers against Arkansas last season.

>> Auburn recorded 21 assists on 31 field goals. It is the second-straight game the Tigers have finished with 21 assists. On the season, Auburn is averaging 20.0 assists per game and has assisted on 68.2 percent of its field goals.

>> Auburn scored 30 bench points against Notre Dame. The Tigers have scored at least 30 bench points in all three games this season. Auburn’s reserves are averaging 38.3 points per game this season and have accounted for 45.8 percent of the team’s scoring on the season.

>> Freshman Aden Holloway scored 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in the win over Notre Dame. It is Holloway’s third-straight game in double figures to begin his career. For the season, he is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from long range.

>> Johni Broome matched Holloway for team-high honors with 15 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and a block. He shot 7-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from deep. Broome is averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds this season and shooting 18-of-33 from the floor including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

>> Jaylin Williams recorded his first game in double figures on the season and the 43rd of his career with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting against Notre Dame. He added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks on the night.

>> Tre Donaldson recorded his first game in double figures of the season with 10 points. Donaldson added five assists, one rebound and one steal and played turnover-free basketball in 17 minutes. Donaldson has registered nine assists and only one turnover in the last two games.

>> Chris Moore scored 10 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out two assists in the win over Notre Dame. It was Moore’s first game in double figures this season and the sixth of his career.

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.  

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 22/22 Alabama men’s basketball team overwhelmed the South Alabama Jaguars 102-46 Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum. It marked the third consecutive 100-point game for the Crimson Tide to open the 2023-24 campaign, the first time that has occurred since 1956-57.

Mark Sears led four Alabama (3-0) players with a game-high 17 points, while freshman Sam Walters added 16 off the bench, Nick Pringle (12) and Mohamed Wague (10) also contributed double figures as all 13 UA players who saw action scored at least two points.

The Jaguars (1-2) were led by Maxwell Land scoring 15 points.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“That was a lot more like what we are trying to get on the defensive end. I thought our effort was significantly improved from everybody on the team. Thought some guys really stepped up … I think I think we've gotten 23 threes up every single game. We'd like to get a few more off as long as we're shooting it. But we've been pretty efficient. Offensively, our guys had us down for 1.52 points per possession which is about as good as you're going to see anywhere. This was not a super high possession game, I think we had us down for 67 possessions, so not that many possessions to score 102 points. I thought we played hard no matter what the score was. Overall, I am happy with our effort. We need to get one more great defensive game against Mercer Friday night going into that Thanksgiving tournament in Destin.”

TEAM STATS

• Alabama has now won 18 straight games at Coleman Coliseum and has won by double-digits 14 times during the streak
• The 46 points allowed by the Tide defense was the third time in the Nate Oats era that an opponent failed to reach 50 points
• Alabama finished the contest shooting 62 percent (34-55) from the field and 52 percent (12-23) from beyond the arc and 73 percent (22-30) from the charity stripe
• In comparison, the Jaguars shot 23 percent (14-60) from the floor, 17 percent (5-29) from beyond-the-arc, and 62 percent (13-21) from the line
• Alabama dominated in nearly every statistical category, including outscoring South Alabama in the paint 44-12 and holding a 52-14 edge in bench points
• Alabama won the battle of the boards 49-26
• UA had 21 assists on 34 made field goals

FIRST HALF

• After trailing early, 13-7, Alabama would go on to outscore USA 40-10 to take a 47-23 lead into the locker room
• The Crimson Tide held the Jaguars to three of their last 13 field goals headed into the locker room
• UA shot 63 percent (17-27) from the field, 58 percent (7-12) from deep, and 50 percent (6-12) from the line
• Alabama held a 23-13 edge on the boards and a 7-0 lead in fast break points
• Mark Sears led the game at half with 13 points, nine of which came from the three, contributing an additional four assists and three rebounds

SECOND HALF

• The Crimson Tide continued to dominate, outscoring the Jaguars 55-23 over the final 20 minutes
• Alabama’s defense was equally dominant, limiting South Alabama to just 15 percent (4-27) from the floor and beyond the arc (2-13)
• Nick Pringle scored 10 of his 12 points in the second stanza on a perfect 5-5 shooting
• After hitting only 6-12 free throws in the opening half, UA finished the game by connecting on 16-18 from the charity stripe

UP NEXT

• Alabama will open play in the Emerald Coast Classic Friday night when it hosts the Mercer Bears Friday night in Coleman Coliseum
• The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. CT and will air live on SEC Network+

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (November 13, 2023) – The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team hits the road for the first time this season on Tuesday, Nov. 14 for a meeting against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. 

Both teams enter with matching 2-0 records, as the Lions are coming off back-to-back home wins over Blue Mountain Christian and Alabama A&M. Mississippi State is also 2-0 with wins over Arizona State and UT Martin. 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION 

Game: North Alabama vs. Mississippi State 

Date: Tuesday, November 13 

Time: 6:30 p.m. 

Location: Starkville, Mississippi 

Venue: Humphrey Coliseum 

Capacity: 10,575 

TV: SEC Network + 

Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM — “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray (PxP) 

Live Stats: StatBroadcast 

UNA Game Notes: Click here 

MSU Game Notes: Click here 

Tickets: HailState.com 

Social Media: @UNA_Basketball  

NOTES 

LAST TIME OUT: The Lions hosted classic in-state rival Alabama A&M last Thursday inside CB&S Bank Arena, leading wire-to-wire in a 83-67 win over the Bulldogs. UNA started the game on a 7-0 run and led 40-30 at halftime. From there, UNA led by at least two possessions the rest of the way.  

THE BANK IS OPEN: UNA has an 11-4 record inside CB&S Bank Arena over the last two seasons. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Bulldogs are 2-0 this season with wins over Arizona State and UT Martin. They are led by Chris Jans, who became one of 10 SEC coaches to win 21 games and make the NCAA Tournament in their first season in the league. The team went 21-13 overall last season and earned a First Four bid, falling 60-59 to Pitt in Dayton, Ohio. The Bulldogs returned 85.3 percent of the team’s starts (145-of-170) from last season and are led by 2022-23 All-SEC First Team selection Tolu Smith. 

HIGH ON THE KENPOM SCALE: UNA is currently ranked No. 208 of 362 NCAA Division I teams in the Pomeroy Ratings, which is the highest rating in program history since the recent transition to NCAA Division I in 2018. Meanwhile, Mississippi State is No. 22, which is currently the highest rating of any UNA opponent on the schedule this season and the fourth-highest all-time ahead of Gonzaga (twice) and Memphis. 

SERIES HISTORY: The Lions will face a Bulldog team for the second straight game, taking on Mississippi State for the fifth time in program history. The first two meetings took place in 1982-83 and 1983-84, while the others took place in 2008-09 and most recently in 2021-22. Mississippi State owns a 4-0 record against the Lions and a 21-1 record against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference all-time.  

LOOKING TO SNAP THE RUN: The Lions look to join Austin Peay as one of just two ASUN school to defeat Mississippi State all-time. The Bulldogs own wins over nine ASUN members. 

POWER UP: UNA will play four Power Five opponents this season, which is the most in single-season history for the program. This group of teams starts Tuesday with Mississippi State, followed by trips to Kansas State, Indiana and Texas Tech. Last season, the Lions defeated Ole Miss, by a 66-65 final in Oxford on a late bucket by KJ Johnson. 

STRONG DEBUT FOR SMITH: Graduate transfer Tim Smith Jr. made a splash in his UNA debut on Monday, dropping 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double to lead in both categories. Smith Jr. shot 8-14 from the field and 3-5 behind the arc over 20 minutes of action. 

NEARING 1K: Smith Jr. entered his graduate season with 963 career points following a 400+ scoring campaign at NCAA Division II opponent Walsh University. With 22 points in his first two games at UNA, Smith Jr. sits at 985 points and needs 15 to join the 1,000 career club. 

ALREADY IN THE CLUB: Mentioned earlier for his bucket against Ole Miss last season, KJ Johnson is currently the only 1,000 point score on UNA’s roster. He has 1,272 career points over five seasons split between Lipscomb and North Alabama. He ranks fourth among active ASUN players and 91st all-time in career scoring by an ASUN player. 

FEED FULCHER: Making his UNA debut this past week was junior guard Josiah Fulcher. He had an efficient night in the season opener, shooting 6-6 from the floor with one triple to finish with 13 points and four rebounds. Head coach Tony Pujol also singled out Fulcher’s defense, which resulted in a number of stops at the other end. He followed that performance with 12 points and eight rebounds in the win over AAMU. 

STAY IN YOUR LANE: Reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year and ASUN Sixth Man of the Year Jacari Lane played in all 33 games with eight starts last season, averaging a team-leading 16.6 points per game in ASUN games last season. He ranked sixth in the nation among all NCAA freshmen in conference scoring. Lane was selected to the Preseason All-ASUN team last month at the ASUN Tipoff Event. Last time out, Lane scored 15 points in the win over AAMU. 

IRON MEN: Last season, the duo of now-junior Will Soucie and now-senior Damian Forrest started all 33 games. The two averaged a combined 15.7 points per game from their respective guard and forward positions. Brown and Soucie have the most career games at UNA under their belt with Brown at 87 and Soucie at 86 following last week. Forrest, in his third season, was an academic All-ASUN selection in 2023. 

HOMETOWN HERO: Appearing in the final two minutes of both wins last week, former Mars Hill standout Hugh Hargett sank his lone three-point attempts in each game to start the season 2-2 behind the arc and to excite the home crowd. Hugh’s father, Douglas, played baseball at UNA from 1999-2002 and was inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. 

BUILDING ON SUCCESS: North Alabama finished with an 18-15 record last season, representing the most single-season wins since the Lions made the jump to NCAA Division I in 2018-19. 

HUNTING ANOTHER POSTSEASON RUN: Last season, UNA played in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) to mark the first postseason tournament in the program’s NCAA Division I history. Prior to that, UNA’s last postseason appearance was an NCAA Regional in 2013-14. UNA has participated in 14 NCAA Tournaments (all Division II), including five Final Four appearances and two National Championship wins. 

THE ART OF BALANCE: The Lions have 16 players on the 2023-24 roster, including eight returning lettermen and eight newcomers. Of this group, there are three freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors, three seniors and one graduate student. 

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: Experience is key for potential Atlantic Sun Conference contenders, and UNA brings that to the table this season with four returning starters. UNA returns 70 percent of its scoring to the starting lineup. 

ROOKIES RISE AT UNA: In the last five seasons, UNA leads all ASUN schools in all-freshman team selections with six. This includes current players Lane and junior Detalian Brown. The Lions have three freshmen this season — Canin Jefferson, Drake James and Hargett. 

PUJOL CONTINUES PROGRAM GROWTH: UNA head coach Tony Pujol enters his sixth season at the helm, serving as the first and only coach of UNA’s Division I era. Pujol has 66 wins over six seasons and led UNA to an 18-15 overall record in its first season out of the four-year Division I transition period. 

THE VAULT IS UNA’S MOST VALUABLE ASSET: Under Pujol, the Lions are 23-2 in non-conference home contests over a span of six seasons. The men’s basketball program often credits this to “the vault” — UNA’s student section within CB&S Bank Arena located behind the UNA bench. 

STRENGTH IN STAFF: The UNA men’s basketball coaching staff experienced some restructuring this offseason, including the promotion of Ahmad Smith to Associate Head Coach and Sean Foley to Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Additions to the staff include Austin Burnette as an assistant coach, Landon Travis to handle basketball operations and Eric Wagenlander to direct efforts in player development. Assistant Coach Carter Heston and Director of Sport Performance Leo Stern also return from last year’s staff. 

PRESEASON POLLS: North Alabama was picked seventh of 12 teams in the preseason coaches and media poll for the ASUN. The Lions received one first place vote in the coaches poll. EKU was picked to win in both polls. 

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

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 22/22 Alabama men's basketball team will host the third game of its four-game homestand to start the 2023-24 when it faces South Alabama at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum.

The Crimson Tide has won 17-straight games at Coleman Coliseum, which ranks as the fifth-longest home winning streak in Division I, winning by an average of 24.8 points per contest. 

Alabama is ranked No. 22 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll, the 21^st consecutive week ranked inside the top 25.

The Broadcast

Tuesday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff and will be aired on the SEC Network+ with Roger Hoover (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (analyst) on the call.

The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, while Tom Stipe (engineer) is turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Notes You Need To Know

• For the third time in school history, and first since 1964-65, Alabama has opened a season with consecutive 100-point games
• The Crimson Tide is averaging 103.5 points per game, which ranks No. 15 in the country and second-best among Power Five programs (No. 12 Iowa, 104.0 ppg)
• UA is shooting 50 percent from three-point range, which ranks No. 8 in Division I
• Alabama has a 17-game winning streak at home, which ranks as the fifth-longest streak in the country
• During Alabama’s home winning streak, UA has won by double-digits 13 times and by an average of 24.8 points per contest
• UA has won 16-straight non-conference games at Coleman Coliseum (last defeat was vs. Western Kentucky on Dec. 19, 2020)
• Alabama is the only team in the SEC that has two players averaging 20 points or more per game (Aaron Estrada and Grant Nelson)
• UA is one of three schools (Denver and Arkansas-Pine Bluff) in the country that has two players rank in the top-60 in points per game as Nelson ranks No. 48 (22.0 ppg) and Estrada ranks No. 58 (21.5 ppg)
• In the last four seasons, Alabama has won a league-best 78 games overall and 41 SEC contests
• Senior transfer Grant Nelson was named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List, which annually recognizes the top player in college basketball and the Karl Malone Award Watch List for the top power forward in Division I
• Alabama’s trio of Aaron Estrada, Nelson and Mark Sears have each scored over 1,000 points throughout their college career
• In his first five years at Alabama, Oats has won 94 games which is the most by a coach in his first five years at Alabama

About South Alabama

• In the last two seasons Alabama is 2-0 against South Alabama, with both games being decided by 10 points or less
• South Alabama ranks No. 10 in the country in free throw attempts, averaging 34.0 per game
• South Alabama welcomes seven newcomers to the program this season including four transfers, two from the Division I level and two from the Division ll level along with three freshmen
• The Jaguars were picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt preseason poll after finishing seventh in the conference last year with a 9-9 record
• Tyrell Jones was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt second team
• South Alabama finished second in the Sun Belt in team defense last year allowing 65.2 points per game, while offensively they scored the third most points in program history (2,483 points)
• Last season the Jaguars won 12 of their final 15 games last season, returning to the Sun Belt Championship game for the first time since 2009
• The Jaguars have won 17 or more games in five straight seasons, all under head coach Richie Riley

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 8/8/8 Alabama football team scored 21 points in the first quarter and cruised Kentucky, 49-21, Saturday afternoon inside Kroger Field. With the victory, the Crimson Tide (9-1, 7-0) clinches the SEC West title as well as a spot in the league’s championship game which will be played in Atlanta on Dec. 2.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe once again dominated the statistics enroute to the victory. One week after accounting for 374 total yards and four touchdowns in the win over LSU, the Tide signal-caller was responsible for six total touchdowns (three rush, three pass) against the Wildcats which ties for the second-most by any Alabama player in a game in program history. Milroe would go on to finish the game with 234 yards and three touchdowns through the air while running the ball eight times for 36 yards and another three scores.

A total of 10 different receivers had at least one catch on the day, led by Kobe Prentice’s four catches for 74 yards and a score. Amari Niblack (2-38) and Roydell Williams (2-30) were also on the receiving end of Milroe touchdown passes for Alabama. Jase McClellan paced the Tide’s run game with 43 yards on nine carries.

Alabama’s Caleb Downs led the defense with 12 total tackles, including five solo tackles, to go with a half-sack. Jihaad Campbell added seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, to go with a fumble recovery that set-up a one-yard touchdown, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry. 

Notes

• Saturday’s contest was the first meeting between Alabama and Kentucky in Lexington since 2013
• The Tide improved to 16-2 in games played at UK and 39-2-1 in the all-time series
• Head coach Nick Saban is now 9-0 in games he’s coached against Kentucky (5-0 while at Alabama)
• Jalen Milroe’s six touchdowns responsible for against the Wildcats matched Bryce Young vs. Utah State on Sept. 3, 2022 (five passing and one rushing) and Tua Tagovailoa vs. Auburn on Nov. 24, 2018 (five passing and one rushing) for the second-most by any UA player in program history
• Across his last two games, Milroe has been accountable for 644 total yards and 10 total touchdowns which include seven on the ground and three through the air
• Alabama opened the contest by scoring on each of its first three and four of its first five drives to take a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter
• The Crimson Tide defense limited the Wildcats to 95 yards rushing, 74 of which came on a single run late in the quarter, while also holding UK to 4.6 yards per play and just 3-11 on third-down conversions
• UA scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the second time this season (Middle Tennessee) and is now 52-1 across its last 53 games when achieving the feat
• Alabama improved to a perfect 28-0 in games played before 11:30 a.m. CT under coach Saban and 2-0 this season. The Tide’s Nov. 18 home finale vs. Chattanooga is also slated for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

How It Happened

FIRST QUARTER 

• 09:38 – UA | The Crimson Tide struck first when Jalen Milroe found Amari Niblack for a 26-yard receiving touchdown capping off a 10-play, 80-yard drive in 5:13
• 05:32 – UA | Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice for a 40-yard touchdown ending a four-play, 55-yard drive lasting 1:51
• 05:12 – UA | Milroe found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown finishing off a one-play drive that was set up by Caleb Downs’ fumble return
• 01:30 – UK | Kentucky got on the board when Devin Leary connected with Tayvion Robinson for a six-yard receiving touchdown to end a six-play, 32-yard drive that lasted 2:43

SECOND QUARTER

• 10:14 – UA | Milroe was able to extend the play and find Roydell Williams for a 27-yard touchdown connected that completed a five-play, 62-yard drive in 2:34

THIRD QUARTER

• 10:53 – UK | The Wildcats opened the second half with a two-yard rushing touchdown from Ray Davis to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive which lasted 4:07
• 06:29 – UA | Milroe scored his second rushing touchdown of the game when he crossed the goal line for a three-yard score to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive that took 6:38 off the clock

FOURTH QUARTER

• 14:48 – UA | Milroe crossed the endzone from one-yard out for his third rushing touchdown of the game that ended an eight-play, 38-yard drive
• 09:46 – UA | Jam Miller crossed the goal line from three-yards to finished off a seven-play drive that spanned 66 yards in 3:21
• 14:48 – UK | Davis scored his second touchdown when he plunged in from one-yard out finishing a four-play, 75-yard drive that took two minutes even

Up Next

• Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa for its final regular season home game when it takes on Chattanooga next Saturday
• The contest will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT and be televised on SEC Network+

AUBURN, Ala. – From a statistical standpoint, Johni Broome led Auburn in Friday night’s 86-71 win over Southeastern Louisiana. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. But from a historical standpoint, it was Jaylin Williams who had the most memorable night as he became the winningest player in program history. 

Williams earned his 88th career win, passing Allen Flanigan, Anfernee McLemore and Scott Pohlman. The fifth-year senior scored nine points and sparked the Tigers midway through the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers.

It was the 2023-24 home opener for Auburn who made it 46 consecutive wins over a non-conference opponent in Neville Arena – a streak that dates back to 2015. 

For Broome, it was his second double-double of the season, his 12th at Auburn and the 47th of his career. He scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and knocked down his only 3-point attempt down the stretch to help the Tigers pull away. He is now shooting 47.4 percent from long range over his last 10 games dating back to last season.

Broome was one of four Auburn players to score in double figures Friday night.

K.D. Johnson, Aden Holloway and Chad Baker-Mazara all had 10 or more points off the bench, showing the depth that the Tigers have this year. 

Johnson was a catalyst early. After a slow start, he checked in and converted a tough and-1 inside. He got a steal on the next possession and then got the ball back and buried a 3 to give Auburn six quick points to make it 12-4. He finished with 13 points.

Holloway, playing in his first game in Neville Arena, missed his first three shots but responded with two 3-pointers and a lay-up over a two-minute span late in the first half. The freshman, who scored 19 in his collegiate debut Tuesday, had 11 points. He and fellow point guard Tre Donaldson only had one turnover between them.

Baker-Mazara finished with 12 points and pulled down six rebounds. He also knocked down a 3 as seven different Tigers connected from long range against Southeastern. 

Fellow newcomer Chaney Johnson matched Broome with a team-high 11 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds. As a team, Auburn outrebounded the Lions 46-33. 

The Tigers (1-1) will be back on the road next week when they travel to Brooklyn for the Legends Classic. First up is a matchup against Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 16. The tournament field also features Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA POSTGAME NOTES

>> Auburn improves to 5-0 all-time against Southeastern Louisiana.

>> The Tigers played in front of their 40th-consecutive sellout crowd (9,121) at Neville Arena.

>> It marked Auburn’s 46th-consecutive win over a non-conference opponent at Neville Arena. 

>> The win was Bruce Pearl’s 174th victory at Auburn, moving him past Sonny Smith, who coached the Tigers from 1978-1989, into third alone on the school’s all-time coaching wins list. Joel Eaves, who won 213 games from 1949-63, is first and Cliff Ellis is in second with 186 victories from 1994-2004.

>> With the win, graduate senior Jaylin Williams became the winningest player in program history with his 88th career victory, breaking a tie with Allen Flanigan, Anfernee McLemore and Scott Pohlman.

>> Ten Tigers have now scored in each of the first two games (Baylor and SE Louisiana) of the season.

>> Auburn’s bench scored 46 of the Tigers’ 86 points against Southeastern Louisiana and the Tigers’ reserves have totaled 85 points in the first two games of the season after finishing with 39 points in the season opener against Baylor.

>> Senior K.D. Johnson scored 13 points and added three assists, two steals and two rebounds off the bench in the win over Southeastern Louisiana including 10 points in the first half. It was Johnson’s 52nd career game scoring in double figures including his 40th in an Auburn uniform.

>> Freshman Aden Holloway recorded his second-straight double-figure scoring game to begin his career finishing with 11 points and three assists versus the Lions. Holloway made 3-of-8 3-pointers in the ballgame. He is averaging 15.0 points on 7-of-16 from long range in his first two career games.

>> Junior big man Johni Broome scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to record his 48th career double-double including 12 at Auburn and both games this season. Broome made his only 3-point attempt on the night and is shooting 47.4 percent from long range over his last 10 games dating back to last season including 3-of-4 this season.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 24/24 Alabama men’s basketball team defeated Indiana State 102-80 Friday night in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide had four players score double figures, including three players record 20 points or more led by Aaron Estrada’s game-high 27 points. 

The Crimson Tide dominated the glass, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds, giving the Tide an 18-3 advantage in second chance points. With his game high 27-points, Aaron Estrada has now surpassed 1,500 career points in his collegiate career after shooting 56 percent (9-16) from the floor, 75 percent (6-8) from beyond-the-arc and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line against Indiana State.

To go along with Estrada’s 27, Mark Sears (24) and Grant Nelson (20) also put up double figures, with Nelson collecting a team-high eight rebounds.

The Sycamores were led by Ryan Conwell, posting a double-double, scoring 16 points and collecting 10 rebounds.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“That was a quality win. Indiana State is a really good, very well-coached team. We knew it was going to be that way when we scheduled them. They were even better than I thought they were going to be when we scheduled them so for our guys to come out and start out down 9-0 I thought our guys did a pretty good job bouncing back and staying locked in and figuring out a way to help get Aaron (Estrada) going. We had three guys score over 20, which I thought was pretty impressive. Our defense was not good again and we've got to do a way better job on defense. We had our rotation shrink a little bit from the last game, just with how tight the game was. We knew this team was going be a lot better and honestly, they didn’t even have their best, as Robbie Avila was out with an injury. We just have to continue to get better on defense. We've got South Alabama coming in and they play a much different style than Indiana State, but they play really hard. Richie Riley has done a great job down there and we're just going to keep preaching defense.

TEAM STATS

• Alabama won its 17^th straight game at home, which is the seventh longest winning streak in the country
• The Crimson Tide won its 16^th straight non-conference game at Coleman Coliseum
• The Tide had three players score 20 points or more in a game for the first time since Jan. 19, 2021 at LSU (John Petty Jr.’s 24 points, Joshua Primo’s 22 points and Jahvon Quinerly’s 22 points)
• Mark Sears made a season-high nine free throws
• Alabama shot 52 percent from the floor (33-64), 57 percent (13-23) from the three and 85 percent (23-27) from the charily stripe
• Indiana State shot 51 percent (27-53) from the floor, 38 percent (10-26) from deep and 62 percent (16-26) from the line
• The Crimson Tide dominated the glass, outrebounding the Sycamores 40-25

FIRST HALF

• Indiana State scored the first nine points of the game and the Tide responded with a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to take its first lead of the game
• The Tide followed it up late in the first half with a 13-3 run over a four-minute span
• UA took an 11-point lead into the locker room, leading the Sycamores 48-37
• Aaron Estrada scored 22 of the Tides 48 first-half points on 11 shots (7-11) while knocking down an impressive five three pointers (5-7)
• At the half, Alabama shot 47 percent (16-34) from the floor, 64 percent (9-14) from the three and 88 percent (7-8) from the line
• The Crimson Tide led in both bench points (13-7) and points in the paint (14-6) going into the locker room

SECOND HALF

• Grant Nelson scored 18 of his 20 points in the final 20 minutes
• Mark Sears scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half
• UA didn’t allow a field goal over the final two minutes and 57 seconds of the game
• The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Sycamores 23-9 in the second half

UP NEXT

• Alabama will face the South Alabama Jaguars Nov. 14 in Coleman Coliseum
• The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. CT and air live on SEC Network+

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

FLORENCE, Ala. (November 9, 2023) – The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season Thursday, defeating traditional in-state rival Alabama A&M by an 83-67 final inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence. 

UNA used an early 7-0 run to open scoring and led from start to finish, taking a double-digit lead into the half. The Lions maintained at least a two-possession lead the rest of the way, leading by as much as 24 points late in the second half. 

Three Lions achieved double-figure scoring totals, led by senior KJ Johnson with 16 points. Johnson and junior newcomer Josiah Fulcher both have back-to-back double figure scoring games, with Fulcher adding 12 points and eight rebounds tonight. 

Reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year Jacari Lane chipped in 15 points over 21 minutes, while adding a team-high four assists. Damian Forrest led UNA in rebounding for the second straight game with 11, while just missing a double-double with nine points. 

Alabama A&M was led by Dailin Smith with 15 points and four boards. The Bulldogs drop to 0-1, as tonight was their official season opener. AAMU defeated Oakwood 111-59 in an exhibition on Monday. 

The Lions now own a 20-6 all-time record against the Bulldogs, dating back to 1970. The only time Alabama A&M defeated UNA on the road came back in 1974. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

FIRST HALF: After two minutes of shutout defense on both sides, the Lions jumped ahead with a 7-0 run on a jumper by Will Soucie and five points from Lane. UNA later doubled this lead at 19-9 with a transition three from junior Marco Foster on a cross court pass from true freshman Canin Jefferson. The lead stayed steady with UNA leading by at least two possessions all the way to the half —40-30. Lane led all players with 11 first half points. 

SECOND HALF: UNA started on a 5-0 run to open the second half on two free throws by Lane and a step-back triple from Tim Smith Jr. Alabama A&M quickly answered with a 7-0 run to cut the margin back to single digits, bringing about the first media timeout. After that, Forrest swung momentum back to the home team with a successful and-one opportunity. Up 51-43 midway through, the Lions got another surge of momentum on back-to-back triples from Detalian Brown and Fulcher. Fulcher scored again on a hustle steal from Eoin Nelson and Jefferson added another steal-and-score to excite the crowd and make it 61-45.  

In the final 10 minutes, UNA’s lead grew to over 20 points with the Lions up 68-47 with just over 7:00 remaining. AAMU never recovered at that point, as UNA finished off a 43-37 second half advantage. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• UNA shot nearly 50 percent tonight, going 26-54 from the field for 48 percent. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs finished 20-56 for 36 percent. 

• Soucie scored the first basket of the game just over two minutes in. UNA officially led for 37:59 of game time.  

• UNA’s first 21 points were scored outside the paint or at the free throw line. A layup by Johnson broke this trend with 10:49 left in the first half. Despite this, UNA won the paint battle 28-26. 

• Johnson went 8-8 from the free throw line, getting half his points from the floor and half on freebies. Johnson was on the receiving end of six AAMU fouls. 

• Soucie and Fulcher each had three steals to lead all players. 

• UNA had a 24-12 advantage in points off turnovers and a 27-12 advantage in fast break scoring. 

• Seven different players made a triple for UNA, including two from Foster.  

• For the second straight game, Hugh Hargett entered for the final two minutes and hit his lone three-point attempt.  

• Eleven players scored for UNA for the second straight game. 

• The Lions are now 11-4 inside CB&S Bank Arena over the last two seasons. 

• UNA improves to a 23-2 all-time record under Coach Tony Pujol in non-conference home games, including 13 straight wins dating back to 2020. 

• Six — 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. 

COMING UP NEXT 

The Lions hit the road for the first time this season on Tuesday, Nov. 14 as they play Mississippi State. Opening tip is set for 6:30 p.m. in Starkville. 

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

FLORENCE, Ala. (November 6, 2023) – The University of North Alabama women’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 season in dominant fashion, cruising to a 90-47 win over Tennessee Southern inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence. 

With the win, UNA starts 1-0 for the third straight season. The Lions also improve to 8-1 in the last nine home openers, dating back to 2016. UT Southern drops to 0-2. 

The Lions started things with a 13-0 run and piled on from there, leading 26-4 at the end of the first quarter and 49-20 at the half. The Lions won every quarter and cruised in the second half, outscoring the Firehawks 41-27 to close it out. 

Eleven Lions stuffed the stat sheet and four finished in double-figures, including 12 point games from senior Alexis Callins and sophomores Rhema Pegues and Emma Kate Tittle. Junior Olivia Jones added 11 on 4-5 shooting from the field.  

Sophomore India Howard led with seven rebounds in 14 minutes of action, while senior Sara Wohlgemuth had a game-high six assists. True freshman Veronaye Charlton added five points and four assists in her UNA debut. 

UT Southern was led by Iya Jones with 12 points. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

FIRST QUARTER: The Lions took an early 3-0 lead on a triple from Rhema Pegues in the opening minute, but both teams went on a three-minute scoring drought. That drought quickly evaporated for UNA, as the Lions went on a 10-0 run over the span of 58 seconds to take command. The rest of the quarter was a 13-4 run over the final five minutes for the home team, led by Callins with eight points and Pegues and Tittle sinking a pair of triples. 

SECOND QUARTER: UNA maintained a good pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Firehawks 23-16 to close the half. The two sides exchanged a pair of threes each way over the first three minutes of the quarter, as UT Southern did not back down. Those UNA threes came from sisters Emily and Olivia Jones, who are playing together as teammates for the first time at the collegiate level. The sisters combined for 11 points in the frame to lead the Lions.  

THIRD QUARTER: UT Southern started the second half with a triple out the gate, but North Alabama reasserted dominance with a 7-0 run over 1:30 of game time and another 6-0 run before the media timeout to make it 62-26.  The Lions stayed on pace with their steady shooting night, going 6-12 from the floor in the third frame. 

FOURTH QUARTER: The Lions matched their shooting totals in the fourth quarter, going 6-12 once again to close things out. Seven different players scored in the final 10:00, including four points each from Callins and sophomore Alyssa Clutter. Meanwhile, the defense held UT Southern to a 29.4 percentage in the fourth quarter at 5-17 from the floor. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The Lions went 27-54 from the field for an even 50 percent while limiting the opponent to 18-57 for 32 percent. 

• UNA dominated the boards with a 42-28 advantage, including a 33-21 advantage on the defensive boards. 

• The UNA bench contributed over half of the team’s points, finishing with 52 points compared to just nine from the UT Southern bench. 

• The Lions scored 33 points on fast breaks, while limiting the Firehawks to just seven. 

• The early stages saw the game tied for just 28 seconds before the opening three-pointer by Pegues. From there, UNA led the rest of the way. 

• The Lions shot 77 percent from the free throw line, going 23-30 with frequent trips to the charity stripe. Meanwhile, UT Southern was just 7-14 at the line. 

• Pegues, Clutter and Cameron Jones each recorded a block. 

• Six — 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. 

COMING UP NEXT 

The Lions are back in action on Friday, Nov. 10 against Denver University inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Florence. 

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

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 24/24 Alabama men’s basketball team defeated Morehead State 105-73 Monday night in Coleman Coliseum in the season opener for both teams.

The Crimson Tide had four players finish with double digits, led by Grant Nelson with a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds. He was joined in double figures with Aaron Estrada (16 points, Mark Sears (13) and Jarin Stevenson adding 12 points in his collegiate debut.

The Eagles were led by Riley Minx scoring 19 points and collecting five rebounds.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“I thought it was a great start to the season. We started well tonight and jumped out of gate. I was pleased with where our heads were at to start the game. I did think we had a little bit of a letdown at various points, but we were able to turn it back up. There's plenty of stuff we need to work on, particularly on the defensive end. I thought we got the ball moving, we had 16 assists tonight. A few too many turnovers but we were able to turn them over a little bit as well. That's a good team. They were picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference. It’s a good team with good players and I thought our guys played well.”

TEAM STATS

• The Tide scored 100 points in a season opener for the first time since scoring 107 points in the opening game of the 2001-02 campaign vs. Mississippi Valley State
• Alabama outrebounded Morehead State, 40-29
• In addition, UA held a 23-5 edge in fast break points and a 38-15 advantage in bench points
• For the game, the Tide shot 56 percent (32-of-57) from the field and connected on 10 three-pointers
• In comparison, the Eagles connected 43 percent (27-of-62) from the field and 30 percent (7-of-23) from beyond the arc

FIRST HALF

• The Tide came out of the gate on fire, going 7-of-7 from the floor, cashing in on two three-pointers to take a 17 -5 lead
• Alabama didn’t look back, draining eight treys by six different players to help take a 20-point lead (55-35) into the locker rooms
• Aaron Estrada led the Tide with 14 first half points
• Alabama converted on 58.6 percent of its first half field goals (17-of-29 and eight threes (8-of-15)
• UA was a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe

SECOND HALF

• Alabama continued its dominance, outscoring Morehead State 50-28 in the second stanza
• Grant Nelson scored 13 of his 24 points and grabbed all seven of his rebounds after halftime
• The Tide dominated the glass, owning a 27-12 rebounding advantage including a 10-4 edge on offensive boards

UP NEXT

• Alabama will face the Indiana State Sycamores Friday night in Coleman Coliseum
• The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. CT and air live on SEC Network+

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

FLORENCE, Ala. (November 6, 2023) – The Bank is open for business. 

The University of North Alabama men’s basketball team made its 2023-24 season debut inside CB&S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall on Monday night, storming past Blue Mountain Christian for a 93-60 win in Florence. 

The Lions have won 13 straight home openers dating back to 2010 and have now won 10 of the last 14 home contests dating back to last season. UNA improves to 1-0 on the season, while tonight served as an exhibition for Blue Mountain Christian (1-2). 

The Toppers started hot in the first five minutes, stunning the Lions with an early 11-5 lead. Shortly after the first media timeout, the Lions got back-to-back-to-back dunks from Detalian Brown, Damian Forrest and newcomer Josiah Fulcher to shift the momentum back home.  

A triple by returning senior KJ Johnson before the first 10 minutes elapsed gave UNA a 21-20 lead and sparked an 8-0 that would give UNA the lead for good. By halftime, the Lions led 50-33 and outscored the Toppers 43-27 in the second half. 

All 15 players that dressed were involved for North Alabama, led by a double-double from graduate transfer forward Tim Smith Jr. with 19 points and 10 rebounds over 20 minutes of action. Smith went on a personal 8-0 run to end the first half with a layup and two treys. 

Johnson shined with 15 points, while Fulcher finished with 13 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting day, including one behind the arc. Coach Tony Pujol also mentioned during tonight’s post-game press conference the defensive effort of Fulcher, slowing down the Toppers early offensive attack. 

Joining Smith Jr. with double-digit rebound numbers was Forrest, who fell just two points short of a double-double at eight points and 10 rebounds over 20 minutes of action. He and Smith Jr. led the Lions in minutes, as all 15 players totaled less than a half of action. 

Twelve Lions made the scoresheet on Monday, and 12 also recorded at least one assist in a team effort. Six Lions added at least one steal, while center Eoin Nelson added a pair of blocks to go with one from sophomore guard Jacari Lane. 

Blue Mountain Christian was led by Ty Pickron with nine points, all of which came on the early run for the Toppers. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

FIRST HALF: Smith Jr. scored the first basket of the year for North Alabama, but Blue Mountain Christian  — four games into its season — would make their presence felt with an early 11-5 lead thanks to three triples from Pickron. UNA chipped away at the deficit, which lasted just over five minutes, and then traded the lead a few times before Johnson’s triple started a short run.  

Up 29-23 heading into the second part of the half, the Lions began getting contributions all around and eventually took the lead to double digits at the 4:07 mark with two free throws and a three-pointer on the next possession from Lane. Smith Jr.’s 8-0 run ended with a triple with four seconds on the clock, extending the halftime lead to 17 points. 

SECOND HALF: UNA cruised from this point on, outscoring the Toppers by a 43-27 margin. UNA’s primary contributers in the second half were Smith Jr., fellow newcomer Marco Foster and returning junior Detalian Brown. Foster led the team with eight points in the second half, including a pair of three-pointers.  

Though he did not score in the half, true freshman Canin Jefferson facilitated things with a game-high three assists and three rebounds over 11 minutes. Other highlights from the half include the blocks by Nelson, another highlight reel dunk by Fulcher and a crowd-erupting three-pointer by former Mars Hill High School standout Hugh Hargett in his collegiate debut. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• UNA finished with a steady 47.8 shooting percentage, making 33-69 from the floor and 11-23 behind the arc. Meanwhile, the defense allowed just 31 percent from the opponent, as BMC shot 20-63 on the night. 

• The Toppers started 3-5 behind the arc, but went on to finish just 5-16 in the game. 

• Five of UNA’s baskets came on dunks. 

• UNA dominated the paint, outscoring the Toppers 40-18. 

• Both teams scored 15 points on fast breaks, but the Lions were able to claim a 17-9 advantage in second chance points. 

• Of UNA’s 93 points, 42 came from the bench. 

• UNA led for over 32 minutes of game time, taking the lead for good midway through the first half. 

• KJ Johnson did not commit any fouls in the opener, but was on the receiving end of four. He went 5-6 from the free throw line. 

• Six — 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. 

COMING UP NEXT 

The Lions return to CB&S Bank Arena on Thursday night for a marquee matchup with in-state rival Alabama A&M. Tipoff is set for Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in Florence. 

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