University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Face #10 Tennessee Tuesday Night
11.16.2009 | Men's Basketball
The Bulldogs (0-1) battled hard and showed some flashes of brilliance before falling at Charlotte Monday night, 86-70. Asheville did not have the services of last year's leading rebounder John Williams on Friday night. The junior forward missed the game with an illness and is questionable for Tuesday night's game at UT.
"We really competed and played hard Friday night at Charlotte," commented Bulldog coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I like the way we kept fighting and scrapping but we made enough mistakes to let them build a lead. We just couldn't get all the way back. However, if we play that hard the rest of the year and keep improving then we will be a good basketball team."
Asheville gets another stiff challenge at Tennessee Tuesday night. The Volunteers are ranked 10th in the country. They routed Austin Peay in their opener on Friday, 83-54.
"Tennessee is very good and will be one of the teams to beat in the SEC this season," said Biedenbach. "They're well-coached by Bruce Pearl. They're very athletic and can beat you in a lot of different ways. We're going to have to play at our absolute best to compete with a team like Tennessee Tuesday night."
Tennessee had four players score in double figures on Friday against Austin Peay. Scott Hopson led the Volunteers with 16 points. Cameron Tatum came off the bench to add 15 points, while Tyler Smith contributed 14 points. Wayne Chism had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs were led in Charlotte by sophomore guard/forward Chris Stephenson with a career-best 22 points. He came off the bench to spark Asheville with six rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore guard J.P. Primm added 15 points.
A key to Tuesday's game will be rounding. Charlotte enjoyed a 53-35 advantage on the boards on Friday. However, most of that came in the first half as the 49ers had a 32-15 advantage on the glass. Charlotte had just a 19-18 edge in the second half.
"We did a much better job on the boards in the second half," explained Biedenbach. "We'll need to do even better against one of the top front-lines in the SEC tomorrow night."
NOTES - Tuesday's game is the first of three SEC opponents the Bulldogs will play over the next 13 days...Asheville plays at Georgia (Nov. 24) and Kentucky (Nov. 30) in Louisville's Freedom Hall...the Bulldogs are 0-6 against UT and this is the third straight year the teams have played...Asheville blocked five shots at Charlotte on Friday...senior guard Sean Smith is tied for fifth place on the school's career list for three-pointers made with 133...both teams were coached by Jerry Green...Green was Asheville's head coach from 1979-88 and went 150-108...he was inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
