SPARTANBURG, S.C. (November 30, 2024) – The month of December begins with an interesting showdown between Atlantic Sun Conference and Southern Conference foes, as the North Alabama men’s basketball team battles at Wofford on Sunday at 3 p.m. CST inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in South Carolina.
This will be the second game for UNA in the ASUN-SoCon Challenge, which pits members from both conferences against each other in home-and-home matchups. Earlier this season, UNA hosted defending SoCon champion Samford in a heartbreaking 97-96 overtime loss in Florence.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via SIDEARM. Fans can also listen to the local radio broadcast on 98.3 and 103.5 FM with “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray on the call. Coverage begins at 2:40 p.m. CST with the “Countdown to Tipoff” show.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama at Wofford
Date: Sunday, December 1
Time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Venue: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium
Capacity: 3,400
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 98.3 & 103.5 FM (WLX) – “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray
Live Stats: SIDEARM
Tickets: Click Here
Game Notes: Click Here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: UNA celebrated Thanksgiving Eve with a 100-point performance, defeating NAIA opponent Dalton State 100-69 on Wednesday inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence. True freshman Kevin de Kovachich dropped a career-high 23 points, going 8-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc. UNA is now 20-0 against non-Division I teams since moving up to DI in 2018.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has a 5-3 record to end the month of November, including three Division I wins over Air Force, UT Martin and Louisiana-Monroe. The Lions average 81.4 points per game with just 73.1 allowed per game. The turnover battle has been UNA’s strong suit this season, as the Lions rank 26th in the nation with a plus-5.4 turnover margin. Junior guard Jacari Lane leads the team with 16.6 PPG and 3.7 assists per game, scoring double figures in the first seven games.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS: Wofford is 2-5 on the season, including wins over Erskine College and St. Thomas (MN). The Terriers have been on the road for the last six games and will return home Sunday for the first time since the season opener on Nov. 4. The Terriers finished 17-15 overall and 10-8 in the SoCon last season. Wofford averages 73.3 PPG with 74.4 allowed. Senior guard Corey Tripp leads the way with 13.7 PPG, while senior center Kyler Filewich has 10.0 PPG and a team-high 8.6 RPG.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will be the first meeting between UNA and Wofford. The Lions are 1-5 against SoCon schools since moving to Division I in 2018, including a win over Samford in 2019. Both teams are 0-1 in the ASUN-SoCon Challenge so far, as the Lions fell to Samford in overtime on Nov. 15, while Wofford lost 78-69 at Lipscomb on Nov. 9.
SOMETHING TO PROVE: The Terriers are ranked ahead of UNA in the latest KenPom rankings. Wofford is ranked No. 164, while UNA is ranked No. 190. The Lions were previously ranked No. 162 heading into last week’s City of Lights MTE tournament in Louisiana.
RECEIVING VOTES: UNA has received at least one vote in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 every week this season, including one this week. Last week, the Lions received 12 votes after a 3-0 start and a close overtime loss to No. 21 Samford.
WATCH OUT FOR LANE: Junior guard Jacari Lane was named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch List, an award given to the top mid-major basketball player each season. In 2019, Wofford’s Fletcher Magee won the award.
MILESTONE MEN: Last weekend against ULM, Lane became the 28th player in school history to score 1,000 career points in a Lion uniform. He now ranks 26th on the all-time list and needs 11 points to crack the top 25. On Wednesday, his senior teammate Daniel Ortiz reached 1,000 career points at UNA against Dalton State. Ortiz has 1,237 collegiate points with 232 of those coming in one season at UAB.
LONGTIME LION: Fifth-year senior Will Soucie is off to the best start in his career, averaging 10.6 PPG over eight starts. Soucie has played in more Division I games than any other Lion with 124 appearances and 80 starts. He has 845 career points.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Redshirt sophomore Corneilous Williams, a former redshirt at LSU and transfer from Western Carolina, is averaging 9.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG. The rebound total is tied for first in the ASUN alongside Lipscomb’s Jacob Ognacevic and West Georgia’s Shelton Williams-Dryden.
DISHING IT AND TAKING IT: Senior transfer Taye Fields, a former all-conference performer at Division II Missouri Western, is making an impact at UNA with 8.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG. He ranks second on the team in rebounding, assists (21) and steals (12). Fields has a 21/8 assist-turnover ratio (2.62) which ranks second in the ASUN behind Lipscomb’s Will Pruitt.
FIVE’S COMPANY: Last time out, UNA had five players in double figures against Dalton State — but not the usual suspects such as Lane, Williams or Soucie. Instead, true freshman Kevin de Kovachich was the star with 23 points, followed by junior forward Donte Bacchus with 18 points. Ortiz had 15, Fields added 13 and sophomore Canin Jefferson, an early candidate for ASUN Sixth Man of the Year, had 12. The Lions had a season-high 53 bench points.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: In the first two games, UNA held both Air Force and Point below 60 points. The Lions accomplished this just twice all of last season against Bellarmine (69-53) and Jacksonville State (61-59).
ON DECK: UNA returns home on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to host Tennessee Tech inside CB&S Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. With the December holidays approaching, fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal to throw on the court for the “Teddy Bear Toss” to support children in need.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
