An off night from outside the 3-point line didn't keep UNA from coming away with a significant victory on Saturday night. The Lions won the game by winning the battle in the paint during an 80-70 ASUN victory over visiting Lipscomb at CB & S Bank Arena at Flowers Hall in Florence.
UNA outscored Lipscomb, 46-34, in the paint. Daniel Ortiz hit three 3-pointers and was the only UNA player to hit a shot from outside the arc.
The Lions led for nearly 30 minutes in the game and built the advantage to 17 points with 9:33 left in the game. K.J. Johnson had 22 points, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Jacari Lane had 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. Ortiz had 17 points, five rebounds and three steals.
With the win, UNA moved into a fifth-place tie with Lipscomb in the ASUN standings. Both teams are 16-11 overall and 8-6 in conference. The two teams are a game behind fourth-place Stetson and two games behind Eastern Kentucky.
Troy 80, Louisiana 65: Zay Williams had 26 points, and Nelson Phillips had 23 points as Troy (16-11 overall, 8-6 SBC) snapped an eight-game losing streak against Louisiana (20-6 overall, 10-4 SBC). Troy, which won for the third consecutive game in Sun Belt Conference play, remains a game out of fourth place with the win over the second-place team in conference.
Louisiana led 35-30 at halftime. Troy eventually took the lead for good on a layup by Aamer Muhammad with 9:32 left in the game. Muhammad's basket gave Troy a 52-50 lead, and it began a 12-0 run.
Williams had 10 rebounds and four assists to go with his 26 points. Phillips added seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and a blocked shot.
South Alabama 74, Appalachian State 57: The Jaguars (12-14 overall, 7-8 SBC) never trailed in the win over the Mountaineers (14-13 overall, 7-7 SBC).
Isaiah Moore had 16 points, three rebounds and three assists, and Tyrell Jones had 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. Owen White added 14 points and three assists, and Kevin Samuel had eight points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
Alabama State 74, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 71: Alex Anderson scored a career-high 29 points to lift Alabama State (8-17 overall, 6-6 SWAC) to the road victory. He was 11 of 18 from the field, hit both of his 3-point attempts and made 5 of 8 free throws. Anderson added three assists, two rebounds and two steals but also turned the ball over eight times.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff falls to 10-15 overall and 6-6 in SWAC.
Alabama A&M 70, Mississippi Valley State 68: Messiah Thompson hit a jumper just before the final buzzer of the second overtime victory to give the Bulldogs (10-15 overall, 6-6 SWAC) the road win. Thompson had just six points but also had the timely basket to clinch the win.
Dailin Smith had 20 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs. Mississippi Valley State fell to 3-23 overall and 2-10 in SWAC.
Kennesaw State 74, Jacksonville State 71: For the second time in three days, first-place Kennesaw State (20-8 overall, 12-2 ASUN) pulled out a one-possession win over the Gamecocks (10-17 overall, 3-11 ASUN). Jax State has three one-possession losses in the past nine days and has seven consecutive losses by fewer than seven points.
Skyelar Potter and Demaree King each had 16 points for the Gamecocks.
West Alabama 69, West Georgia 65: A late-game surge allowed West Alabama to win on the road and maintain sole possession of first place in the Gulf South Conference. Shardarrion Allen had 24 points and added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and four 3-pointers.
West Georgia fell to 16-7 overall and 15-6 in the GSC. West Georgia falls out of a second-place tie with UAH.
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