ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? Bryan Smithson scored a career-high 31 points as UNC Asheville scored the final seven points of the game to edge Liberty, 74-70 in the Big South Conference opener for both teams before a sell-out crowd of 1,183 at Justice Center.
The Bulldogs won their 11th conference opener in the last 12 years under Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach. The Dogs (12-4, 1-0 BSC) won for the 16th time in the last 21 games dating back to last season.
The Flames (8-8, 0-1 BSC) put up a terrific fight as they fought back from a 15-point first-half deficit to take a 70-67 lead with 2:11 remaining. They had four players in double figures as Kyle Ohman finished with 14 points. TeeJay Bannister had 13 points and eight assists. Alex McLean added 12 points, while Rell Porter chipped in 11.
“This is a great win today,” commented Biedenbach. “We had just a terrific crowd that really inspired us throughout the game. We played well but you have to give Liberty so much credit for the way they kept coming back at us. Our guys built a nice lead and didn't let up but Liberty played just great. We're happy to find a way to win.”
Smithson, coming off a 25-point performance at top-ranked North Carolina, was sensational for the Bulldogs. The senior guard went 10-of-12 from the field, 4-of-6 from the three-point line and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Kenny George added 18 points for the Bulldogs. The junior center went 8-of-10 from the field.
The Bulldogs couldn't put the Flames away because Liberty knocked down 13 treys in the game. Six different Flames knocked down a long-distance shot with Porter leading the way with three treys.
Liberty went on an 8-0 run with three-pointers from Porter and Ohman putting the Flames in front 68-67 with 3:34 left. McLean tapped in a miss to push the LU lead to 70-67 at the 2:11 mark.
But Smithson came back with a long trey to knot the game at 70-70 with two minutes remaining. Liberty had two chances to take the lead but misfired on two long three-point attempts. Reid Augst was able to snag the rebound after the second miss and the junior forward was fouled with 55 seconds remaining.
Augst hit one free throw for a 71-70 Asheville lead. The Flames tried to take the lead but Ohman missed from 20 feet and John Williams snagged the rebound and got the ball to K.J. Garland. Garland was fouled and made both free throws for a 73-70 lead at the 14-second mark.
Liberty tried to tie with a trey but Ohman missed again and Garland got the rebound this time and was fouled. He made the clinching free throw with 2.2 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 74-70 win.
Asheville shot 60.5 percent (26-of-43) from the field. Smithson's 31 points are the most by a Bulldog since Ben McGonagil scored 31 points against Birmingham-Southern in the 2002-03 season.
UNC Asheville hosts High Point Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Liberty travels to defending Big South champ Winthrop Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
