No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville had four players in double figures and connected on 11 three-point baskets to come away with an 84-77 win over North Alabama Saturday afternoon in men's Gulf South Conference basketball action. UAH held off a late charge by the Lions, hitting eight straight free throws in the final 29 seconds to preserve the win, improving to 15-3 overall and 6-1 in GSC play.
With the loss, UNA falls to 11-8 overall and 3-4 in league action. The Lions will host West Georgia on Thursday with tip-off set for 8 p.m. at Flowers Hall.
On Saturday, the Lions stayed within striking distance throughout the game. UAH led by eight at the break and used a three-point play by Srdjan Boskovic to take its largest lead of the day at 51-40 with 18:28 remaining.
North Alabama responded with a 13-0 run to take a 53-51 lead with 12:59. Theron Jenkins capped the run with a steal and three-pointer to give UNA its first lead since the 10:06 mark of the first half.
UAH was able to regain the lead, however, and hold a five-point advantage with 8:12 remaining before the Lions made one final push. Beaumont Beasley scored six points in an 8-0 run that gave UNA a 69-66 lead at the 6:23 mark.
The Chargers answered again 10 straight points to grab the lead for good. After two baskets by Zane Campbell, back-to-back three-pointers by Jamie Smith made the score 76-69, prompting a UNA timeout with 4:17 remaining.
The Lions would get no closer than a single point the rest of the way.
Beasley finished with a game-high 27 points for UNA. The senior added six rebounds and three assists on the night. Jenkins also turned in a solid double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds while Warrick Mastin rounded out the top scorers for the Lions with 10 points.
Smith led the Chargers with 23 pointers, including five three-pointers on the day.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station. 