University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
South Carolina State
Men's Basketball Downs South Carolina State, 87-76
12.17.2007 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville placed five players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated South Carolina State, 82-73 at Justice Center Monday night.
The win was the 151st for Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach and moved him into second place on the school's career win list for head coaches. He moved past former Bulldog head coach Jerry Green, who won 150 games.
Asheville was led by Vincent James 19 points. K.J. Garland added 18 points and seven assists. Reid Augst finished with 15 points. Bryan Smithson chipped in 14 points and tied a career-high in assists with nine. Kenny George contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
South Carolina State (3-8) was led by Jason Flagler with 21 points and 14 rebounds. He was 10-of-13 from the field. Thomas Bookman finished with 14 points, while Jason Johnson contributed 12 points.
"We got the job done tonight," commented Biedenbach. "Our defense wasn't very good at times but we were able to make plays on offense to get the win against a very well-coached South Carolina State team. I liked the balance we had in our scoring as a lot of guys stepped up and played well."
Asheville led 61-57 with nine minutes left before going on a quick 6-0 run to lead 67-57. James and Smithson hit two free throws to push the lead to 65-57. Smithson followed with a steal and a lay-up to give the Bulldogs a 10-point lead.
Flager scored five quick points for S.C. State to narrow the lead to 69-64 but a trey from Garland and a three-point play for James got the lead to 75-64 at the 4:30 mark. The visitors could get no closer the rest of the game.
UNC Asheville shot 52 percent (32-of-62) from the field, while S.C. State shot 52 percent, as well. The visitors were 35-of-67 from the field. Asheville has now shot at 50 percent or better in seven of its 10 games.
UNC Asheville plays at national power Tennessee on Wednesday night starting at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised by SportSouth.
