PINE BLUFF, Ark. (December 1, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women’s basketball team picked up its fourth win of the season Sunday afternoon with a 62-48 road victory over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions.
The Lions (4-3) picked up their second-straight win, taking care of business on the road against the Golden Lions. In the first all-time meeting against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Alabama continued its trend of defense and rebounding to match its season-low of 48 points allowed.
The two teams opened with a competitive first quarter, giving way to UNA responding with 20 second-quarter points en route to a double-digit lead. The third quarter was tightly contested, but solid shooting and timely defense in the fourth sealed the dominant win.
UNA made it tough for the Golden Lions on offense, holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 27.1 percent shooting (16-59) and 25 percent (3-12) from behind the arc. The Lions also led the way in rebounding with a 50-36 advantage. North Alabama also had a 16-9 advantage in assist with solid ball movement.
Junior Alyssa Clutter led the way with her first double-double of the season, leading the Lions in both points and rebounds with 14 and 11, respectively. Clutter nabbed her fourth-career double-double, with the last coming against Bellarmine on Jan. 18, 2024. She also finished with three assists and two steals against the Golden Lions.
Juniors Sarang West and Rhema Pegues rounded out the top three scorers for the Lions, totaling 11 and 10 respective points. West secured her new Division I career-high in total points, while Pegues nabbed her first double-digit scoring outing of the season.
Eleven Lions secured at least two rebounds, led by Clutter’s 12 and five each from junior India Howard and sophomore Katie Criswell. West and senior Charity Gallegos tied the team-high with four assists each, and Howard registered a game-high three blocks. Criswell tied Clutter with two steals to round out UNA leaders.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: UNA 13, UAPB 9
Both teams came out looking to take the early advantage, but North Alabama’s solid shooting led to an early advantage in the first. It was a balanced scoring affair for the Lions, with five players scoring at least two points led by three from Gallegos, Clutter and graduate Sara Wohlgemuth. Clutter also was active on the boards early, totaling five in the first period en route to the quick start. North Alabama’s defense set the tone from tipoff, holding UAPB to single digits and 25 percent shooting from the floor.
SECOND QUARTER: UNA 33, UAPB 17
North Alabama’s offense was the star of the second quarter, scoring 20 points as the Lions took a 16-point lead at the half. UNA shot a solid 44.4 percent from the field, but the difference came from behind the arc as North Alabama went 4-5 from three. Pegues was perfect from the field, matching UAPB’s entire team in the quarter with eight points.
THIRD QUARTER: UNA 50, UAPB 32
The Lions retained the advantage after three quarters, with both teams battling to start the second half. Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s offense had a better performance with 15 points, but 17 points from the Lions slowed down a potential UAPB comeback. Freshman Chrishunti Walker tied Clutter for the leading scorer in the third, securing four of her career-high six total points in the period.
FOURTH QUARTER: UNA 62, UAPB 48
With an 18-point lead in hand, UNA used timely offense and key stops in the fourth to secure the double-digit win. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had 16 points in the period, but contributions from West, Clutter, Criswell and Gallegos provided the offense 12 points for UNA. West led the scoring with five.
UP NEXT
North Alabama looks to make it three wins in a row next time out, hosting in-state foe Samford on Thursday, Dec. 5 in CB&S Bank Arena. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
