Clash of the Lions: Men’s Basketball Faces a Tough Challenge

LOS ANGELES (December 22, 2024) – The North Alabama men’s basketball team concluded a successful non-conference stretch with an unfavorable outcome on Sunday, succumbing 85-69 to Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.
 
North Alabama wraps up non-conference play with an 8-5 record, matching the highest number of non-conference victories in a single season since transitioning to Division I in 2018. This feat was last achieved in 2022-23 with eight wins, leading to an 18-15 overall record.
 
UNA fell behind midway through the first half but managed to keep the score close until the latter part of the second half. Fueled by a four-game winning streak, LMU (7-4) went 13-33 from beyond the arc to pull ahead in the final half.
 
For the 14th instance in his career, junior guard Jacari Lane netted 20 or more points, finishing with 20 points against LMU. This encounter marks the fourth occasion this season where Lane has scored 20 or more points, the previous instance being against Samford nine games ago.
 
Senior guard Daniel Ortiz emerged as UNA’s other offensive standout, contributing 13 points on 3-9 shooting from three-point range. He recorded 3-6 in the first half, helping to keep UNA within reach.
 
True freshman DarKaun King made his college debut on Sunday, hitting a deep two-pointer for the final score of the game. King also contributed two rebounds and a block that resulted in an and-one opportunity for Lane.
 
LMU was spearheaded by Caleb Stone-Carrawell, who scored 28 points on 11-17 shooting and 5-8 from three-point range. The LA Lions are riding a five-game winning streak into West Coast Conference play.
 
HOW IT OCCURRED

First Half: Both defenses came out strong early on, but UNA was the first to break the pressure with a layup from Fields and a three-pointer from Ortiz to establish a 5-1 lead. However, LMU went on a 7-0 run before the second media timeout and extended this run to 13-0, leading 21-10 at the midway point of the half. Consistent production from Ortiz and Lane late in the half kept UNA within 10 at halftime, 41-31. Three-point shooting was a challenge outside of Ortiz, as the Lions registered 3-14 from beyond the arc in the half.

 

Second Half: UNA closed the gap to two possessions at 52-46, but LMU proved too formidable to slow down. The home Lions converted nine consecutive field goals to establish a 68-52 lead at the under-eight media timeout. UNA could not recover from the deficit but got 11 points from Lane, culminating in 20 for the game. Sophomore Canin Jefferson added six off the bench, shooting 2-3 from the field along with two free throws.

 

INSIDE THE STATISTICS

• Jacari Lane went 8-10 at the foul line, equaling the season-high for a UNA player in both free throw makes and attempts.
  

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• UNA shot 23-64 for 36 percent, marking only the third occurrence in 13 games that UNA shot below 40 percent. UNA stands at 0-3 in those contests.
  

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• LMU shot 33-65 from the floor for 51 percent. This is only the second time this season UNA has permitted a team to shoot over 50 percent, the other being against nationally-ranked Auburn.
  

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• The 13 three-pointers permitted are the most allowed by UNA this season. UNA is 2-3 when allowing 10 or more three-pointers, including victories over Charleston Southern and UT Martin.
  

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• This marks the third time all season that UNA has made fewer than seven three-pointers.
  

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• LMU won the rebounding battle 41-35, but UNA had the edge on the offensive boards with a 13-10 advantage, translating to 11 second-chance points.
  

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• Both teams tallied 32 points in the paint.
  

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• Both squads ended the game with single-digit turnovers, with UNA ceding a rare advantage in that category, 9-7. Nonetheless, UNA recorded eight steals while LMU managed only three.
  

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• UNA has held a lead at least once in every non-conference game this season.
  

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• UNA concludes with a 5-2 record against opponents they faced for the first time, including victories over Air Force and East Carolina as well as a neutral site win at Louisiana-Monroe.

 
LOOKING AHEAD
 

North Alabama returns from the holiday on Thursday, January 2, to initiate Atlantic Sun Conference play against Bellarmine. The opening tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena. The game will feature a “Purple Out” with a T-Shirt giveaway sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
 
For further details regarding North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.