University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Catawba Tuesday Night
12.14.2009 | Men's Basketball
Asheville (2-6) won its second game in a row on Sunday in convincing fashion as the Bulldogs rolled past Montreat 100-49. It was Asheville's biggest margin of victory in more than 20 years. Five players scored in double figures as the Bulldogs led from start to finish and got their four-game homestand off to a good start.
"We played pretty well against Montreat," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I thought it was our best game of the season. We played hard for the most part, and everyone made a contribution. We're still not where we need to be, but we're starting to make some progress."
The Bulldogs face a strong Catawba (5-3, 0-1 SAC) squad on Tuesday. The Indians were picked to win the South Atlantic Conference this year after winning last year's tournament title and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Catawba returns most of its team from last season's 22-10 squad.
"Catawba is a very good basketball team," said Biedenbach. "We're going to have to play well for 40 minutes to have a chance to beat them. Catawba is well-coached, and they have seniors who know how to win. This will be a tough game for our guys Tuesday night. We better be ready to play."
Asheville is in the midst of its longest homestand of the year. The Bulldogs played Montreat on Sunday, Catawba on Tuesday, Bluefield on Friday and then Wofford on Monday, Dec. 21st.
"It's nice to be at home for a few games," declared Biedenbach. "We've been on the road for much of the year, and we're glad to play in front of our fans for awhile."
The teams played for the first time in 25 years last season with the Bulldogs recording a hard-fought 84-67 win at Justice Center on Dec. 13, 2008.
NOTES - Senior guard Sean Smith is 15-for-27 from the three-point line in the last three games...he has knocked down 154 career three-pointers and is just nine away from passing Omar Collington (162) and moving into second place on Asheville's career list...the Bulldogs shot a season-high 49 percent (32-of-65) from the field vs. Montreat...Asheville had five players score in double figures on Sunday...six different Bulldogs scored their season-high in the Montreat win...Asheville had a season-low nine turnovers vs. Montreat.
