Ortiz leads North Alabama against Jacksonville after 29-point outing

Published Jan. 26, 2023 3:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Jacksonville Dolphins (11-8, 4-4 ASUN) at North Alabama Lions (11-10, 3-5 ASUN)

Florence, Alabama; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: North Alabama -3.5; over/under is 134

BOTTOM LINE: North Alabama faces the Jacksonville Dolphins after Daniel Ortiz scored 29 points in North Alabama's 82-66 victory over the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears.

The Lions are 5-2 on their home court. North Alabama ranks sixth in the ASUN in rebounding averaging 31.9 rebounds. Damien Forrest paces the Lions with 7.0 boards.

The Dolphins have gone 4-4 against ASUN opponents. Jacksonville ranks ninth in the ASUN shooting 35.2% from deep. Omar Payne leads the Dolphins shooting 100% from 3-point range.

The matchup Thursday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: KJ Johnson is averaging 11.4 points and 3.3 assists for the Lions. Ortiz is averaging 12.3 points over the last 10 games for North Alabama.

Kevion Nolan averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Dolphins, scoring 14.0 points while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc. Gyasi Powell is shooting 47.7% and averaging 10.1 points over the last 10 games for Jacksonville.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lions: 5-5, averaging 71.9 points, 31.4 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.0 points per game.

Dolphins: 5-5, averaging 61.3 points, 30.3 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 62.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.