On Nov. 9, UNA men’s team played Alabama A&M’s bulldogs at home. Pulling a 16-point win, the Lions are now 2-0. CB&S Bank arena held a final score of 83-67 favoring the Lions, along with attendance of 1,336 spectators. The Lions had 27 fouls to the Bulldogs’ 20. The game ended with a 48.1 field goal percentage and an 85.2 free throw percentage for the Lions.
To start the game, UNA’s 33 – Damian Forrest – handled the jump ball, giving the Lions possession. The first two minutes of the game had no scoring, as both team’s defenses were impenetrable. UNA’s 0 – Will Soucie – set the ball rolling with a 2pt field goal, giving UNA a 2-0 lead early on in the game.
KJ Johnson, a senior from Tennessee, played an incredible 24 minutes and contributed 16 points for the lions. With three minutes left in the game, Johnson pulled an over-the-rim dunk, adding a bit of flair to the end of the game. Over the course of his career at UNA, Johnson has played 885 minutes and scored 401 points for the Lions.
Player of the game, and 2022-23 ASUN Freshman and Sixth Man of the year, Jacari Lane, a sophomore from Huntsville, scored an overwhelming 15 points, with 11 just in the first half. Lane played 21 minutes in the game, contributing to his total 864 minutes played as a Lion. In the 2022-23 season, he played in all 33 games and scored a total of 409 points as a freshman.
Will Soucie, a junior from New Jersey, scored seven points over 25 minutes. This is Soucie’s fourth season as a Lion and has docked a total of 544 points overall. Last season, he started in all 33 games of the season and is heavily experienced in the game. Standing at 6’6”, Soucie was a key player in this game.
A freshman from New Orleans, Canin Jefferson scored his first career points as a Lion in the first half of the game. He scored six points, four in the first half and two in the second.
Josiah Fulcher – number two and junior from Ohio – played 24 minutes and scored 12 points throughout the game. This is his first season with the Lions, and he looks to have a big future, already being a key piece on the court.
Scoring nine points, and being one point short of a double-double, Damian Forrest is on his third season at UNA. Transferring from Cleveland State Community College, Forrest had already made a name for himself on the court. Standing at 6’9”, Forrest is unstoppable in the paint and ended the night with 11 rebounds.
Micah Clark introduced himself with a bang as he slammed a dunk with 14 minutes left in the second half. Clark was fouled on that and proceeded to score the extra point, ending his night with three. After the first, Clark went up for a second but was unable to finish.
Tim Smith Jr., Detalian Brown and Hugh Hargett all ended the evening with one three-point field goal each. Marco Foster Ended his night with six points and two three-point field goals.
The Bulldogs’ highest scorer, Dalin Smith – number 15 – from Colorado contributed 15 points to the score, The dogs had 17 turnovers and never gained a lead against the lions. The Bulldogs are now 0-1, as this loss was the season opener. The last time A&M beat UNA on the road was in 1974.
The Lions led by ten at 40-30 at halftime. In the last 6 minutes of the game, the Bulldogs fell behind a 24 point lead and never recovered.
