Men's Basketball Set to Face VMI on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville Bulldogs get back into Big South Conference play Saturday afternoon when they host the nation's top scoring team VMI at Justice Center starting at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WISE Radio (1310-AM) and video-streamed for a small fee on The Edge at www.bigsouthsports.com.

UNC Asheville (3-4, 1-0 BSC) will try to snap a four-game losing streak on Saturday but it will not be easy against the Keydets (5-2, 1-0 BSC). VMI is off to its best start in five seasons and knocked Kentucky off to open the season at Rupp Arena. On Wednesday night, the Keydets roared past defending BSC champion Winthrop, 92-74.

“VMI is a very good team that has played well this season,” explained Bulldog coach Eddie Biedenbach. “Any team that walks into Kentucky and wins like they did last month says a lot about their team. What's also impressive is they've kept it up. They won at Campbell right after Campbell beat us and their win against Winthrop on Wednesday was also impressive.”

The Keydets lead the nation in scoring as they're scoring 102.1 points per game. They lead the Big South in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent. Asheville should be ready to play against VMI with the opponents it has faced this week. The Bulldogs played North Carolina Sunday night and the Tar Heels are second in the nation in scoring. On Wednesday night, Biedenbach's club faced Tennessee which is eighth in the nation in scoring.

“Each game and each opponent is different,” stated Biedenbach. “We're going to have to play better defense than we've been playing. It will be crucial for us to get back on defense and guard their shooters. We're going to have our work cut out because VMI is very good at what they do on offense.”

The Bulldogs showed some improvement in the loss at Tennessee Wednesday night. Asheville fell 87-69 but stayed with the Volunteers for most of the evening. The Dogs had a tough night shooting as they shot just 40 percent form the field and 21 percent from the three-point line.

“We missed some open shots that if we had made we could made things a little more interesting at Tennessee,” explained Biedenbach. “We battled hard and played better defensively Wednesday night against a great Tennessee team.”

The Bulldogs are being led in scoring by senior forward Reid Augst with an 11.9 average. He scored 14 points at Tennessee. Sophomore forward John Williams also had 14 points at UT and is averaging 11 points per game. He's shooting 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field and tops the club in rebounding with a 6.4 average. Sean Smith is shooting 50 percent from the three-point line (15-of-30) and averaging 10.4 points per game. Freshman guard J.P. Primm continues to lead the Big South in assists per game with a 5.6 average. He has had at least six assists in five of Asheville's seven games.

NOTES ? VMI has won its last two games at Justice Center and blew the Bulldogs out last year, 97-75...Eddie Biedenbach has 198 career victories...Asheville has been out-rebounded in its last four games...the Bulldogs had a season-low 10 turnovers at Tennessee...John Williams leads the Big South in blocked shots with a 2.4 average and 17 overall...Williams has 68 career blocks and is in eighth place on the school's all-time career list...Asheville has won 20 of its last 23 home games dating back to the end of the 2006-07 season.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Men's Basketball Set to Face VMI on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

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Reid Augst

J.P. Primm

Sean Smith

John Williams

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