University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to South Carolina State - UNC Asheville Bulldogs Official Athletics Site
01.01.1970 | Men's Basketball
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Dec. 20, 2006
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville men's basketball team will try and break a two-game losing streak when the Bulldogs travel to MEAC power South Carolina State Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WISE (1310-AM) and www.uncabulldogs.com.
UNC Asheville (4-7) plays its final game before the Christmas holidays and is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 73-65 loss at East Tennessee State Tuesday night. The Bulldogs fell behind 22-4 and only a late 16-1 run made the game sound better than it really was.
"We simply weren't ready to play at East Tennessee State and they made us pay for that in a big way," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "You have to be ready to play every night, and we just didn't come close to getting the job done Tuesday night.
Biedenbach doesn't expect things to get any easier at South Carolina State. SCSU is traditionally one of the top teams in the MEAC. The S.C. State Bulldogs are 2-7 on the season but that record is very misleading as they have played a very tough schedule. SCSU is 0-7 on the road with losses to teams like Georgia, South Carolina, Dayton and Old Dominion. They have won both their home games as they knocked off North Carolina A&T and edged Coastal Carolina. Senior guard Travis Jones leads the SCSU attack with a 14.8 average, while senior forward Brian Mason is averaging 10.1 points per game.
"South Carolina State has a great tradition and is a good team once again this year," explained Biedenbach. "Forget what their overall record is right now because like us they play a very tough non-conference schedule. They have some very talented players, and we're going to have play much better than we did at East Tennessee State to have any kind of chance to win at South Carolina State."
The Bulldogs continue to be led by junior guard Bryan Smithson. Smithson had a tough night shooting at ETSU but still managed to score in double figures for the 11th straight game with 14 points. He leads the team in steals (21) and three-point field goals made (14). 7-6 center Kenny George was a bright spot in defeat for Asheville. He played 14 minutes and scored a career-best six points, grabbed nine rebounds and had five blocked shots. Another bright spot in the game was job Asheville did on the board as the Bulldogs out-rebounded ETSU, 44-31.
This will be the first time the Bulldogs have played South Carolina State since the 1972-73 season when the teams played three times. They met in the District 6 championship game at Justice Center with SCSU winning, 87-78.
UNC Asheville takes a few days off for Christmas after the game at South Carolina State. The Bulldogs return next week at play at South Carolina (Dec. 28) and Louisville (Dec. 30).
