Men's Basketball

North Alabama Powers Past Demons in Overtime, 87-83

Williams scores career-high 28 points; Washington makes game-winning defensive play

FLORENCE, Ala. (November 11, 2025) – November has never felt this much like March.
 
In a battle of two mid-major contenders, the University of North Alabama men's basketball team put a 15-game home winning streak on the line against Northwestern State. The game did not disappoint, as the Lions came away with a thrilling 87-83 overtime win over the Demons on Tuesday night inside CB&S Bank Arena.
 
North Alabama (2-1) led most of the way, jumping out to a 14-1 advantage in the early stages. However, Northwestern State (0-3) battled back and eventually took a brief lead less than a minute into the second half. This set up a back-and-forth affair that eventually ended tied in regulation.
 
The Lions went into overtime without star guard Kevin de Kovachich, who finished with 14 points on 60 percent shooting before fouling out near the end of regulation. This opened the door for junior transfer Tank Washington to step in and help in overtime.
 
And that — he did.
 
The Lions and Demons traded blows until the final 44 seconds. Junior guard Canin Jefferson and senior forward Donte Bacchus each made free throws on separate possessions to give UNA an 85-83 lead.
 
Down to 18 seconds on the clock, Northwestern State's leading scorer Micah Thomas was heavily guarded by Washington. A screen allowed Thomas to ditch Washington and pick up a jump shot on UNA's Dallas Howell. The shot missed and eventually landed in the hands of Chris Mubiru on the block.
 
What looked like an open layup to tie the game turned into a dramatic block by Washington with two seconds to go. Bacchus went to the line and sank both free throws to ice the game.
 
While Washington was the clutch performer, redshirt junior Corneilous Williams was the star from start to finish. The forward finished with a career-high 28 points while adding 16 rebounds for his second double-double in three games. He also had three assists and went 10-11 from the free throw line. New career-highs also came in free throw makes and attempts, steals (3) and assists (3). He also shot 9-12 from the field for 75 percent.
 
Bacchus also stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. He and Williams were quite the tandem in the post, as Bacchus also had a career-high four assists, his first two-block game on defense and a 12-19 showing at the charity stripe — both career-high numbers.
 
Jefferson and de Kovachich laid the foundation for the win with 14 points apiece, while Howell, a sixth-year senior, showed what he can do behind the arc with 11 points on 3-7 shooting from downtown. Washington had his first career points in "The Bank" with a go-ahead basket in overtime.
 
Micah Thomas had a gutsy performance for the road team, finishing with 29 points on 8-14 shooting. Huntsville native Izzy Miles finished with 16 points for the Demons.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half: The Lions took command early with a 7-0 run to start the game and a 14-1 lead at the first media break. A dunk by Williams and a triple by Howell ended the run and set the tone for the crowd of over 2,000 fans. Kevin de Kovachich had seven of the first 16 points. The Demons began to pull back in it, dwindling the lead to just two with 4:28 left in the half. The Lions led 36-27 heading into the final minute, but momentum swung back to the visitor after a personal 6-0 run by Thomas with a triple and a successful and-one opportunity near the buzzer.
 
Second Half: The Lions lead the entire first half, but the Demons flipped the lead at the 19:10 mark of the second half. UNA did not go without an answer, getting it right back on a pair of makes in the paint from Williams. There were 10 lead changes for the game with eight coming after this point. UNA led most of the second half and never by more than eight points, giving the Demons a chance to hang around. NSU tied the game at 77-77 with a jumper by Miles. UNA had a chance to win at the buzzer, as Bacchus came out with a loose ball and fired up a desperation shot at the horn that rimmed out.
 
Overtime: The Lions went to overtime at home for the third time in two seasons and — much like the most recent time against Austin Peay last January — came out with a win. Mubiru put NSU in the lead with the first make of overtime, but Williams answered. After a stop, Jefferson gave UNA the lead. Thomas answered. This set up an exciting two minutes, which started with Washington's first basket as a Lion and an answer by Turner. The rest was all UNA, as Bacchus and Jefferson made free throws and the defense made stops. Washington's block with less than five seconds to go all but sealed it, allowing Bacchus to ice the game.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • The Lions improved to 33-4 in non-conference home games under Tony Pujol.
  • UNA now has a 16-game win streak at home dating back to last season. This ranks fifth in Division I behind St. Thomas (W19), Akron (W18), Duke (W18) and Miami Ohio (W17). UNA now has a two-game lead on Louisville and New Mexico at 14 straight wins.
  • Both teams shot roughly 48 percent, with NSU going 27-56 and UNA going 28-58.
  • UNA won the paint with a 38-27 advantage in rebounding and a 38-32 advantage in paint scoring. Williams and Bacchus combined for 44 points and 30 rebounds.
  • No player for NSU had more than six rebounds. Williams and Bacchus had 30, while NSU had just 27 as a team. 
  • UNA had a 21-6 advantage in offensive rebounding. Williams had seven to outrebound the entire visiting team on the offensive glass.
  • The Lions had a notable advantage in second chance points — 21-2.
  • There were 66 free throws fired off in this game, including 37 from UNA.
  • UNA led for over 38 minutes. NSU led for under two minutes.
  • The score was tied for nearly five minutes of game time.
  • 6 — This is the number of free boneless wings that fans can retrieve at the Buffalo Wild Wings location in Florence after every UNA win with the purchase of six wings. Fans are encouraged to show their ticket or the social media graphic to retrieve the offer.
  • 80 —Any time the Lions score 80 or more points, fans who attended the game can go to Rosie's Cantina in Downtown Florence to get a free cup of queso. Fans must show proof of attendance to retrieve.
  • 60 —  Any time the Lions score 60 or more points, fans can head to Culver's on Cloverdale Road to retrieve a free single scoop of custard by using the online code "CUSTARD4LIONS" as part of the "Swish for a Dish" promotion.
 

COMING UP NEXT

The Lions end a three-game home stand on Saturday against ETSU as part of the ASUN/SoCon scheduling alliance. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.