Men's Basketball Set to Battle High Point Wednesday Night

ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville men's basketball team faces an early-season test in Big South Conference play when the Bulldogs host High Point at Justice Center Wednesday night starting at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WISE Radio (1310-AM) and can be seen via video-streaming for a small fee at www.bigsouthsports.com. There are a limited number of tickets available for the game. They can be purchased at the athletic department's web-site at www.uncabulldogs.com or call 251-6904.

UNC Asheville (12-4, 1-0 BSC) opened Big South Conference play with a 74-70 victory over Liberty Saturday afternoon at Justice Center. Bryan Smithson scored a career-high 31 points in win, while Kenny George added 18 points. The Bulldogs led by 15 midway through the first half but had to rally past the Flames in the final two minutes.

“We played pretty well against Liberty and glad we were able to find a way to win the game down the stretch,” stated UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. “I believe that's the way most of our conference games are going to go this season. The league is as balanced as I've ever seen from top to bottom. We're going to see a lot of close games this year.”

Asheville will have its hands full with a High Point team that has owned the Bulldogs over the past four years. The Panthers are 8-2 against Asheville the last four seasons and have won five straight in the series. The Dogs last win came in the 2004-05 season when Asheville rallied for an 89-77 victory at Justice Center. High Point swept last season's series winning 90-64 at home and then rallied past the Dogs, 69-67 at Justice Center.

High Point (8-6, 1-0 BSC) is coming off an emotional 62-61 victory win over defending Big South Conference champion Winthrop Saturday night. The Panthers are led by Pre-Season Big South Conference Player of the Year Arizona Reid. He is averaging a double-double this season with a 23.9 scoring average and 10.8 rebounding mark. Guard Mike Jefferson is one of the best in the Big South. He's averaging 12.8 points per game and leads the Big South in assists with a 7.4 mark.

“High Point is very talented and we've had a tough time with them over the past few years,” commented Biedenbach. “We need to play very well to have a chance at beating them Wednesday night. High Point had a great win over Winthrop on Saturday and they'll be ready to play.”

The Bulldogs have four players scoring in double figures. Bryan Smithson leads Asheville in scoring with an 18.2 average. K.J. Garland is averaging 15.4 points per game. Kenny George had a 13.2 scoring average and is second in the Big South in rebounding with a 9.1 mark. His 71 blocked shots are second in the nation. Vincent James is averaging 10.8 points per game. He leads the team in steals with 24.

NOTES ? UNC Asheville is eighth nationally in field goal percentage at 50.2 percent...the Bulldogs have shot at least or better than 50 percent from the field in 11 different games this year...Bryan Smithson is shooting 51 percent from the field (80-of-158) and 49 percent (29-of-59) from the three-point line...Asheville has out-rebounded six of its last seven opponents...the Bulldogs are 9-1 at home...Asheville has won 16 of its last 21 games dating back to last season.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Men's Basketball Set to Battle High Point Wednesday Night

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