FLORENCE, Ala. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello women’s basketball team opened the 2011 portion of the schedule with a 69-54 loss to North Alabama Sunday on the road.
The Cotton Blossoms (4-7) took a 41-40 lead on a put-back by junior Chelsea Johnson at the 8:11 mark of the second half, but the Lions (7-4) answered with a 16-0 scoring run over the next five minutes to seal the win.
In the first half, the Lions posted 10 unanswered points after Johnson made a layup on the game’s opening possession.
The Cotton Blossoms did regain the lead once in the first half on a three-pointer by Johnson with 8:10 remaining to give UAM a 14-13 advantage.
Junior Alex Hart led UAM in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including a pair of three-pointers. Johnson finished the game with 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting, and also led the team in rebounds with six.
The Lions placed three scorers in double-digits, led by Dana Jackson’s game-high 19 points. Sanqueeta Meardith had 16, while Sequoyah Cliff added 15.
As a team, UAM shot 36 percent from the field (21-of-58), 20 percent on three-pointers (3-of-15) and 60 percent from the foul line (9-of-15). UNA shot 51 percent from the field (29-of-57), 11 percent on three-pointers (1-of-9) and 59 percent from the foul line (10-of-17).
The Cotton Blossoms return to action on Monday at Alabama-Huntsville. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Spragins Hall on the UAH campus.
