Box Score
FLORENCE, Ala. – Behind the strength of four scorers in double figures, the 12th-ranked UAH men's basketball team held off North Alabama in a raucous Flowers Hall and won by an 84-77 score. The Chargers improve to 15-3 (6-1 Gulf South Conference) while the Lions drop to 11-8 (3-4 GSC).
 
The win gives the Chargers a season-best six-game winning streak as Jaime Smith led the Chargers, connecting on five 3-pointers to total 23 points on the night.
 
In a first half that saw the game tied four times and the lead exchange hands on six occasions, it was the Lions that enjoyed the most success in the game's opening minutes as they built up a 19-13 advantage at the 13:16 mark of the opening period.
 
Then with the Chargers trailing by four at 23-19, the team grabbed all of the momentum with an 11-0 run that included three treys. Two of the long-range shots came from Ronnie Mack who scored all of his 11 points in the first half as he went 4-for-5 from the field including a 3-for-4 showing from downtown.
 
Riding that swing, UAH built up as much as a nine-point advantage in the frame and went into the locker room up 44-36 at the half.
 
The Chargers pushed the lead out to 11 at 51-40 just over a minute into the second stanza, but UNA refused to allow the contest to be won easily, using a 13-0 run to pull back ahead 53-51 with 12:59 left in the contest.
With the Lions enjoying the same margin at 55-53 with 11:51 remaining, Smith took over as he scored UAH's next 11 points to put the Blue and White back on top, but the Chargers would fall behind again, trailing by as many as three with just over six minutes left in the contest.
 
Again, the game of momentum swings turned back to UAH as the team built up a 76-69 advantage at 4:17, and though the Lions would whittle their deficit down to one, a strong performance at the charity stripe allowed the Chargers to preserve the victory.
Smith connected on a pair of freebies, and Xavier Baldwin went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to produce the 84-77 victory.
 
Joining Smith in double figures on the night was Zane Campbell who tallied 16, and Baldwin chipped in with 15.
 
Josh Magette led the team with 11 assists and eight rebounds.
 
On the night, the Chargers shot nearly 54 percent from the field while hitting 11 treys, and North Alabama connected on just under 46 percent of its shots. Entering the night averaging over eight made 3-pointers, UNA went 5-for-22 from long-range on the night.
 
The Lions won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Chargers by a 39-24 clip, and UNA's Beaumont Beasley led all players in the game with 27 points.
 
UAH returns to action Thursday when it hosts West Alabama at 7:30 p.m. inside Spragins Hall.