LOS ANGELES (December 22, 2024) – The North Alabama men’s basketball team closed a successful non-conference run with an unsuccessful result on Sunday, falling 85-69 at Loyola Marymount inside Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.
North Alabama ends non-conference play with an 8-5 record, tying the most non-conference wins in a single season since moving to Division I in 2018. This was last accomplished in 2022-23 with eight wins, as the Lions went on to an 18-15 record.
UNA slipped behind midway in the first half but stayed in striking distance until late in the second half. Riding the momentum of a four-game win streak, LMU (7-4) went 13-33 behind the arc to sprint away in the second half.
For the 14th time in his career, junior guard Jacari Lane scored 20 or more points with a 20-point performance at LMU. Tonight marks the fourth time this season Lane has scored 20 or more points, with the last time coming against Samford nine games ago.
Senior guard Daniel Ortiz was UNA’s other offensive leader, scoring 13 points on 3-9 shooting behind the arc. He went 3-6 in the first half, keeping UNA in striking distance.
True freshman DarKaun King made his collegiate debut on Sunday, sinking a deep two-pointer for the final score of the game. King also had two rebounds and a block that led to an and-one opportunity for Lane.
LMU was led by Caleb Stone-Carrawell with 28 points on 11-17 shooting and 5-8 shooting from downtown. The Lions of LA ride a five-game win streak into West Coast Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half: Both defenses came out strong early on, but UNA was the first to break the pressure with a layup from Fields and a triple from Ortiz to make it 5-1. However, LMU went on a 7-0 run before the second media timeout and extended it to a 13-0 run to make it 21-10 at the midway point of the half. Steady production from Ortiz and Lane late in the half kept UNA within 10 at the break, 41-31. Three-point shooting was a struggle outside of Ortiz, as the Lions went 3-14 behind the arc in the half.
Second Half: UNA pulled within two possessions at 52-46, but LMU became too much to slow down. The home Lions made nine straight field goals to take a 68-52 lead at the under-eight media timeout. UNA was never able to overcome the deficit but had 11 points from Lane to reach 20 for the game. Sophomore Canin Jefferson added six off the bench, going 2-3 from the floor with two free throws.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Jacari Lane went 8-10 at the free throw line, tying the season-high for a UNA individual in both free throw makes and attempts.
- UNA went 23-64 for 36 percent shooting, marking just the third time in 13 games UNA has shot below 40 percent. UNA is 0-3 in those games.
- LMU shot 33-65 from the floor for 51 percent. This is only the second time UNA has allowed a team to shoot above 50 percent this season, with the other being nationally-ranked Auburn.
- The 13 three-pointers are the most allowed by UNA this season. UNA is 2-3 when allowing 10 or more three-pointers, including wins over Charleston Southern and UT Martin.
- This marks the third time all season UNA has made less than seven three-pointers.
- LMU won the boards 41-35, but UNA had a 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass for 11 second chance points.
- Both teams scored 32 points in the paint.
- Both teams finished in single digit turnovers, as UNA gave up a rare advantage in that category, 9-7. However, UNA had eight steals while LMU produced just three.
- UNA led at least once in every non-conference game this season.
- UNA finishes with a 5-2 record against first time opponents, including wins at Air Force and East Carolina and a neutral site win at Louisiana-Monroe.
COMING UP NEXT
North Alabama comes back from the holiday on Thursday, Jan. 2 to begin Atlantic Sun Conference against Bellarmine. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena. The game will be a “Purple Out” with a T-Shirt giveaway sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
