FLORENCE, Ala. (Interstat) — The North Alabama Lions edged the Lipscomb Bisons 68-63 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at Flowers Hall. North Alabama led 31-30 at halftime and maintained a narrow advantage throughout the second half. The Lions sealed the victory with a 20-point fourth quarter. Lipscomb’s Hope Counts led all scorers with 19 points and added five blocks. North Alabama’s Gabby Jackson and McKayla Miller of Lipscomb each scored 16. The Lions improved to 15-12 overall. The Bisons fell to 9-18.

FLORENCE, Ala. (Interstat) — In a game defined by interior dominance and a crucial late surge, the North Alabama Lions held off a persistent Lipscomb Bisons squad for a 68-63 victory in ASUN Conference women’s basketball action Saturday at Flowers Hall. The Lions improved to 15-12 overall, while the Bisons fell to 9-18. The contest pivoted on North Alabama’s overwhelming advantage on the offensive glass and a decisive 9-2 run in the final minutes after Lipscomb had clawed back to tie the score. The Lions secured 22 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second-chance points and helping offset a subpar 39.3% shooting performance from the field. Lipscomb, which shot just 2 of 18 from three-point range, relied heavily on its work in the paint, outscoring North Alabama 46-24 inside. The Bisons were led by a formidable performance from Hope Counts. The 6-foot-2 sophomore from Crystal, Minnesota, played 37 minutes and finished with 19 points, two assists and a game-high five blocked shots, anchoring the Lipscomb defense. McKayla Miller, a 6-1 junior from Cimarron, Kansas, added 16 points for the Bisons, and Molly Heard of Pisgah, Alabama, contributed 15 points and a team-high three steals. North Alabama countered with a more balanced attack. Gabby Jackson, a 6-1 junior from Kansas City, Missouri, led the Lions with 15 points and three steals in 39 minutes. Katie Criswell of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, filled the stat sheet with 13 points, five assists and two blocks. Sofia Ceppellotti, a 6-1 junior from Udine, Italy, provided a key spark off the bench with 11 points, and Alexsandra Alvarado of Richmond, California, also added 12 points. The game’s most critical sequence began with just over three minutes remaining and the score knotted at 60-60. Following a Lipscomb turnover, North Alabama worked the ball to Ceppellotti, who drained a three-pointer from the wing to put the Lions ahead for good. On the ensuing possession, Lipscomb’s Hope Counts was stripped by Jackson, leading to a Criswell mid-range jumper that extended the lead to five. Lipscomb, which had battled back from a seven-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, could not recover. A final three-pointer by Alvarado with 37 seconds left pushed the North Alabama lead to 67-60, effectively sealing the outcome. The game was a defensive struggle from the start, with both teams committing more turnovers than assists. North Alabama finished with 13 turnovers to just four assists, while Lipscomb had 10 turnovers against seven assists. The Lions’ ability to extend possessions via offensive rebounds proved to be the differentiating factor, as they attempted seven more field goals than the Bisons despite an identical number of total possessions. North Alabama built a 31-28 halftime lead behind 10 points from Jackson. Lipscomb surged in the second quarter, using a 12-3 run to briefly take the lead before the Lions closed the half with a small advantage. The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with North Alabama taking a 48-45 lead into the final period. The Lions opened the fourth quarter with five quick points, but Lipscomb responded with a 13-5 run, capped by a Counts layup with 4:46 remaining, to tie the game at 57-57 and set the stage for the decisive final minutes. The announced attendance at Flowers Hall was 1,401. North Alabama will look to build on the win when it hosts Central Arkansas on Wednesday. Lipscomb returns home to face Bellarmine, also on Wednesday.

FLORENCE, Ala. (Interstat) — The North Alabama Lions look to solidify their position in the ASUN Conference standings when they host the Lipscomb Bisons in a women’s basketball matchup Saturday at Flowers Hall. North Alabama (14-12) enters the contest with momentum after an 87-54 road rout of Bellarmine on Wednesday. Gabby Jackson led a balanced attack with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Sofia Ceppellotti poured in a game-high 21 points. The Lions have won three of their last four games. Lipscomb (9-17), meanwhile, seeks to rebound from a heartbreaking 66-65 overtime loss to West Georgia on Wednesday. The Bisons have dropped four of their last five contests, with several narrow defeats highlighting their struggles to close games. The matchup features two of the conference’s key players. Lipscomb will lean on guard Molly Heard, who is coming off a string of strong performances. Heard scored 28 points with eight rebounds in a loss to Queens (N.C.) on Feb. 14 and tallied 23 points in a win at Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 24. Her ability to score and defend will be critical for the Bisons. For North Alabama, forward Gabby Jackson provides consistent production. She nearly posted a double-double in the win over Bellarmine and scored 14 points in a key victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 31. Her versatility on both ends of the floor will be a focal point for the Lions’ game plan. Historically, North Alabama holds a commanding 14-3 series lead over Lipscomb, including a sweep of last season’s two meetings. The Lions won the most recent game 68-59 in Nashville on Jan. 20, 2025. Saturday’s game tips off a crucial final stretch for both teams as the ASUN tournament approaches. North Alabama aims to secure a higher seed, while Lipscomb looks to build momentum and climb the conference ladder.