NASHVILLE – The University of North Alabama showed grit on the national stage Sunday, facing Lipscomb in the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.
However, the Lions fell 76-65, finishing their historic season at 24-10.
UNA and Lipscomb were co-regular season champions in the ASUN this season with matching 24-9 overall records and 14-4 records in league play. This marked UNA’s second appearance in the championship game since moving to Division I seven seasons ago.
In a packed Allen Arena on the Lipscomb campus, the UNA fanbase made itself heard, taking up nearly half of the gym and staying on its feet the whole contest. The entertaining game had 10 lead changes, many coming in a back-and-forth slugfest in the second half. The turning point came with 5:22 left in the game, as UNA led 58-57.
Playing in foul trouble, redshirt sophomore Corneilous Williams was called for an untimely foul, forcing him out of the game. Lipscomb took advantage of the big man’s absence and used a quick 5-0 run to take the lead for good.
Despite a tough first half, when the Lions fell behind by as many as 11 points, UNA stayed calm and clawed its way back into the game. The momentum shifted early in the second half, as First Team All-ASUN performer Jacari Lane knocked down a clutch three-pointer to flip the lead to 44-43 with 14 minutes remaining.
The game went back-and-forth for the next 10 minutes, before the home team began to pull away in the final minutes. The win gives Lipscomb its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
To open the game, Lipscomb hit a pair of threes, then the Lions answered with its own 6-0 run. Lipscomb began to inch ahead at the first media timeout, 13-8. UNA went down by as many as 11, but an 8-0 run made it 24-22 just before the under-8:00 media timeout.
Lane led the way with 18 points, followed by 15 from Williams, and 10 from fifth-year senior Will Soucie. Soucie played in his 150th career game. Senior Taye Fields had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Lane and Fields were both named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
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