The UNA basketball teams have had a successful season thus far, with the women reigning No. 1 in the Gulf South Conference and the men holding a GSC record of 3-1.

“We’re such a young team, I don’t think anyone expected us to be No. 1 (in the GSC) right now,” said women’s basketball head coach Terry Fowler.

The Lions are now preparing for a tough GSC contest against Union Jan. 12.

“I hope our students really come out,” Fowler said. “We’ve got a team that’s 11-3, No. 1 in the GSC. That’s something to be excited about.”

The Union women are second in the GSC (8-4, 3-1), while the men rank eighth in conference (3-9, 1-3).

“They’ll be a quality opponent; we’ve just got to play our best,” Fowler said.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are coming off Jan. 5 victories at Delta State, where the men won 69-53 and the women 59-58.

The women’s game was an exciting one, with the ladies coming back from a 21-point deficit in the second half to win with a three-pointer from Jennifer Towne in the last 10 seconds.

The women’s win also broke an 11-game losing streak against the Statesmen.

“It came down to our kids never quitting and continuing to believe that as long as there was time on the clock they could win,” Fowler said.

Fowler said that he’s proud of his players, though they have a long way to go. Their goal is to win the GSC championship.

Against DSU, DeAndre Hersey led the men by scoring 26 points and pulling down seven rebounds, while Marquel Darrington had 11 points during the game.

Over the holiday break, both teams have performed well. The women hold an overall record of 11-3 and a conference record of 4-0, while the men are 10-2 with a GSC record of 3-1.

The men’s one GSC loss came at the hands of Christian Brothers University Jan. 3 at CBU. The Buccaneers were able to shut the Lions down, holding the team to a 31.8 shooting percentage in the game.

The Bucs also held Rashaun Claiborne and DeAndre Hersey, two of UNA’s top scorers, to a combined two points.

“You want to win all your home games and, at the worst, split on the road, and that’s what we’ve done,” said men’s basketball head coach Bobby Champagne.

The men are now seated No. 3 in the GSC, and Champagne said the team is working to keep up with GSC leaders.

“We’re trying to keep pace with the leaders in the league,” Champagne said. “In order for us to keep pace we’ve gotta keep winning.”

Follow @FlorAlaSports for results of Saturday’s contest with Union.