Men’s basketball is sputtering in Wofford

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (December 1, 2024) – Things weren’t easy for the North Alabama men’s basketball team on Sunday as the Lions struggled on both ends in a 74-54 loss to the Wofford Terriers at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C

Wofford (3-5), playing at home for the first time in nearly a month, performed well and had an advantage in almost every category. UNA (5-4) made a big push in the second half, but couldn’t pull away by single digits.

The second round of scheduling between the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Southern Conference began today. The SoCon is now 6-4 in this challenge as the Lions lost 97-96 in overtime to defending SoCon champion Samford and lost at Wofford today. Both opponents were ranked in the top four in the SoCon preseason poll.

UNA was led by Junior Donte Bacchus with 11 points. Bacchus went 2-3 from behind the arc and 4-5 from the floor. senior Taye Fields added 10 points and a game-high three steals.

Dillon Bailey led Wofford with 18 points, two shy of his season high.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First half: UNA scored the first four points of the game thanks to smart work in the paint Corneilous Williamsbut Wofford took an early lead with a 14-2 run. At halftime, Wofford took a double-digit lead, which they extended with solid defense and efficient shooting for the remainder of the half. Wofford went 19-33 for 58 percent while UNA went 8-23 for 35 percent. Seven players scored a goal for UNA in the half.

Second half: The Lions started the second half well and had a few runs, but were unable to overcome the difficulties in the first half. However, the defense evened the playing field a bit as Wofford shot 11-30 and UNA shot 11-31. Further improvement for UNA in the second half came in the turnover battle, as Wofford committed 11 turnovers in the second half. UNA had nine the entire game.

WITHIN THE NUMBERS

• UNA had the lowest shooting percentage both from the floor at 19-54 (35.2) and from behind the arc at 4-18 (22.2).
  

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• Despite the loss, UNA continued its streak of at least six steals in a game with nine steals. Wofford only had four.
  

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• UNA, which is among the top in the country in sales margin, kept up with its +5 sales margin by a margin of 14-9.
  

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• Wofford had a 45-25 advantage at the boards and a 46-26 advantage in paint scoring.
  

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• All nine players who appeared for UNA scored at least one field goal.
  

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• Today was Wofford’s first home game in 27 days. The Terriers played away six times after the season opener.

COMING NEXT

UNA returns to CB&S Bank Arena for a non-conference showdown with Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, December 4 at 6 p.m. UNA will host a teddy bear toss event, encouraging fans to bring a stuffed animal or toy to donate to those in need during the holidays.

For more information about North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and keep following UNA Athletics Facebook, Twitter And Instagram.