CONWAY, Ark. — Down 62-57 with 6:29 to play, North Alabama scored 10 straight points and held on for a 78-73 ASUN Conference win over Central Arkansas at the Farris Center.
The win snapped a five-game losing skid for the Lions in conference play and ups UNA's record to 10-10 overall and 2-5 in league play. Central Arkansas, 6-14 overall and 1-6 in ASUN play, lost for the tenth time in its last 11 games.
With the Lions trailing 62-57, Damian Forrest had a basket and two free throws to cut it to 62-61. A Jacari Lane layup gave UNA what would prove to be the lead for good, and back-to-back Will Soucie baskets extended the lead to 67-62.
UNA hit enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the Bears and get the win.
Central Arkansas led by eight points late in the first half but the Lions went on an 8-0 run to close the half and tie the game at 37-37 at intermission.
The Lions went cold to start the second half and didn't score for more than four minutes as UCA again took the lead.
After missing their first nine shots of the second half, the Lions hit seven of their next eight and tied the game at 57-57 with 7:29 to play.
Forrest had a double-double for the Lions with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lane was UNA's leading scorer with 19 points and Daniel Ortiz added 16.
North Alabama dominated the boards with a 45-34 rebounding advantage. Defensively, UNA held the Bears to 33 percent shooting from the floor and the UNA bench contributed 29 points to the winning effort.
North Alabama hosts Central Arkansas at CB&S Bank Arena on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.