Intensity turned up in the second half of a thrilling 55-50 win against Austin Peay Governors at CB&S Arena on Feb. 4.
North Alabama, standing 6-4 in conference play, faced the Governors, who came into Florence undefeated in 10 road games.
In a low-scoring first quarter, the Lions finished it at 12-11. Peay answered with 20 points in the second, heading to halftime with a 31-25 lead.
UNA flipped the switch for the last two quarters. The defense held the Governors at 19 points while the offense scored 30.
Senior Alexsandra Alvarado led with 18 points and six assists, tying a season high. Junior Katie Criswell added 10 points and her sixth double-digit outing of the season. Sophomore Sofia Ceppellotti came close to a double-double.
Rebounding support came from India Howard, Alvarado and Criswell, who paced the team with two steals. Alvarado blocked two shots to anchor the defense.
The fourth quarter was marked by Ceppellotti’s three-pointer, which gave the Lions the lead at 48-45 with only three minutes left. The scoreboard found closure with Peay’s final layup with 20 seconds to go, but the Lions still finished with a five-point advantage.
