University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Liberty Wednesday Night - UNC Asheville Bulldogs Official Athletics Site
01.01.1970 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2006
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville men's basketball team hopes to continue on its winning ways when the Bulldogs host Liberty University at Justice Center Wednesday night starting at 7 p.m.
Asheville (4-12, 2-4 BSC) picked up its second league win of the year this past Saturday with an 83-65 victory over VMI at Justice Center. Senior forward Joseph Barber enjoyed the third double-double of his career with 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Freshman forward Michael Ellis added 18 points, 16 in the second half. Senior guard Omar Collington led all scorers with 19 points. The Bulldogs trailed by 12 in the first half before outscoring the Keydets by 21 points in the second half.
"We played some good basketball in the second half against VMI," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We did a good job on offense and played some excellent defense. However, we need to build on this game and keep playing better."
The Bulldogs will face a challenge in Liberty (4-13, 1-4 BSC). Asheville has lost its last five meetings to the Flames. They are led by junior guard Larry Blair, who is averaging 21.6 points per game. Blair is averaging 25 points per game in league play. He scorched the Bulldogs last season at Justice Center with 23 points as Liberty ran past Asheville, 92-80. The Flames edged the Dogs earlier in the year in Lynchburg, 72-71.
"We'll have our hands full with Liberty," explained Biedenbach. "They've won five in a row against us, and Blair has been very tough to guard. He always seems to play well whenever we play them."
The Bulldogs are still pretty banged up as they'll dress just nine players for the Liberty game. Senior forward Chad Mohn is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury. Mohn is Asheville's top rebounder this year with a 6.9 mark.
However, the Bulldogs have had some players stepping up for them. Walk-on sophomore forward Garrett Moles is averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in league play. Ellis was named Big South Rookie of the Week on Monday after averaging 23 points per game in his first two starts. Senior guard Omar Collington continues to play well and is shooting 54 percent from the three-point line in six league games. Barber is Asheville's leading scorer with a 13.3 average. He's averaging 7.3 rebounds per game in conference play.
"We're getting some good minutes from Garrett Moles and Michael Ellis has really stepped up since being put into the starting line-up," stated Biedenbach. "We're going to need help from everybody to beat Liberty."
