University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Mars Hill
Bulldogs Pull Away from Lions in 2nd Half - UNC Asheville Bulldogs Official Athletics Site
01.01.1970 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2006
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville held Mars Hill scoreless for the final 7:14 of the game to pull away with a 62-47 victory at the Justice Center on Monday night.
Asheville finishes its longest homestand of the season with a 2-2 mark and is now 4-4 on the season while Mars Hill dropped to 4-2 on the year.
Mars Hill's Abby DeBusk made the front end of two free throws to tie the game at 47-47 with 7:14 left. She missed the second, the only free throw the Lions missed all night, and MHC did not score again.
Asheville went ahead for good on a basket by Amanda Elder with 7:02 left to play. Elder finished the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and five blocked shots for her fourth double-double of the year. Ashton Barton had 13 points, 11 in the second half to lead the Bulldogs.
Mars Hill was led by DeBusk who had 10 points and eight rebounds and Allison Schafer who also had 10 points and six rebounds. The Lions went 0-for-8 from the floor and committed six if their 18 turnovers in the final seven minutes.
"I thought our defensive pressure picked up in the second half," said Asheville head coach Betsy Blose. "I was frustrated at halftime with our effort and I challenged our team to play with more emotion. I am proud of our upperclassmen for carrying out that challenge on the floor. The way we played in the second half is what this team is about, working hard on defense and getting baskets in transition."
In the first half, it was Asheville that went cold from the floor. The Bulldogs had a 20-12 lead at the 9:29 mark and then went scoreless for over four minutes while Mars Hill went on a 9-0 run to take the lead at 21-20. Stacy Shepard who had a season-high nine points scored on a lay up with 4:45 left in the half to end the drought and put the Bulldogs back up by one, 22-21. Jessica Blanford answered for Mars Hill and the Lions went into halftime up 29-28.
After the break, Katie Baldwin hit a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up two at 31-29. Asheville held the lead until the 10:25 mark when trailing 42-39 Laura Snider hit a three-pointer to tie the game. A foul was called on the Bulldogs and MHC kept possession and a jumper up by Schafer completed the five-point trip.
A Shepard jumper tied the game for the sixth time at 44-44. The seventh tie was at 47-47 when the Lions began their dry spell.
Asheville shot 52 percent in the second half to finish the game shooting 43 percent from the floor. Mars Hill shot just 30 percent in the game. After going 3-for-10 from the foul line in the first half, the Bulldogs went 7-for-8 in the second half to finish at 58 percent. The Lions were 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the game.
Rachel Williams had a career-high seven rebounds for the Bulldogs who held a 43-38 advantage on the boards. The Bulldogs had a season-high 11 blocked shots on the night.
Asheville will take time off for final exams and return to action on Dec. 16, at North Carolina A&T.
