Men’s basketball ended the month with a 68-66 win against Stetson in DeLand, Florida. The last time they went head-to-head was Jan. 1, when the Lions lost 67-70. As of Feb. 1, North Alabama is last in the ASUN conference with a 7-13 record overall.
Canin Jefferson secured his first career double-double Saturday by scoring 10 points and a career high of 10 assists. Sixth-year senior Dallas Howell scored 18 points and reached a career high of four blocks, three of them being in the first eight minutes of gameplay. Redshirt junior Corneilous Williams’ career high of 10 rebounds helped the Lions dominate for 32 minutes of the game. Senior forward Donte Bacchus reached a career high of 23 points and one block.
The opening half featured eight lead changes, but UNA controlled the pace, leading for more than 13 minutes and taking a 32-29 advantage into halftime. The Lions used a 9-0 run to turn an early deficit into a lead and closed the half strong as Bacchus and Howell combined for seven points in the final two minutes.
Bacchus led all scorers with 14 first-half points. Howell added eight points and three blocks, while Jefferson contributed five assists. Williams grabbed 5 rebounds, and Braylon Patton scored 5 points off of the bench.
The second half was a scoring battle that led to a 46-46 tie. The Lions responded with a dominating 13-0 run with 7:50 remaining.
With only 15 seconds left, Stetson took advantage of back-to-back possessions, making it a one-point match. Jefferson was fouled and made a free throw to secure his double-double. He missed his second free throw and Stetson’s deep three to win the game was short. This win was the first win for the Lions since Jan. 10 against Bellarmine.
February marks the final month of regular season games with nine left. They head to Central Arkansas on Feb 4., and face the No. 1 ranked Austin Peay Saturday, Feb. 7 in Tennessee.
