UNA Athletics and the Office of International Affairs have partnered to create an international student pre-game party before the women’s basketball tip-off.

The event welcomed international students with free pizza and drinks, along with a speech from men’s basketball head coach Bobby Champagne and a chance for the international students to meet some of the men’s basketball players.

“For this event the target students were the new international students who know almost nothing about America,” said Ye Laing, navigator for the Office of International Affairs and mastermind behind the party. “All of their impressions of America are just from TV shows, like ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Friends,’ which happen in a big city not in a small town.”

There was a basketball event for international students last year, but the athletics department was not contacted. This was the first time the two groups collaborated to do the event together, Laing said.

“We were hoping for somewhere between 20 and 50 students — possibly more,” said Cain Yarbrough, a member of the athletics department. “The more the merrier. But we’re happy with the 25 or so that came here.”

Next year the athletics department plans to try and partner with the Office of International Affairs again, Yarbrough said.

“For each sport we sell tickets for, we get to promote a little more, so we’re definitely trying to get them (international students) more involved and just welcome them to athletics,” he said.

Making new friends was an enjoyable part of the event, said Taiwo Ogebule, an international student.

“My favorite part was getting to meet some of the players — it was good connecting the players to the international students,” Ogebule said.

One of the next big events for the Office of International Affairs is the Passport to the World event in April, Liang said.

“It’s kind of like our international week,” Liang said. “The Passport to the World (event) is for the people to know the international students.”