University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball Faces Radford on Saturday Afternoon at 4 p.m.
01.01.2010 | Men's Basketball
Asheville hopes to start the new year with a win as the Bulldogs (3-8, 1-0 BSC) have dropped two straight games. Eddie Biedenbach's club battled at Western Carolina on Wednesday before losing, 87-76. The Catamounts are now 11-2 on the season with wins at Bradley and Louisville.
Things won't be easy at Radford. The Highlanders are 6-5 on the season and are coming off an impressive 80-53 demolition of George Mason at home Wednesday night. RU has four starters back from last year's conference champion team that beat the Bulldogs in three close games.
"We've faced a tough non-conference schedule and hopefully it prepares us for the Big South Conference wars," commented Biedenbach. "Radford is a good team with a real strong inside game that we're going to have a tough time defending."
The Bulldogs will need to cut down on the turnovers at Radford. Asheville has 51 turnovers in the last two games, including 27 at Western Carolina on Wednesday.
"What's so frustrating about the turnovers we had at Western was they were unforced," said Biedenbach. "We didn't make sharp enough passes or tried to do too much. You cut down on those turnovers a little bit, and we're really in the game at Western."
The game with Radford starts a quick two-game road trip for the Bulldogs. Asheville plays at High Point Monday night before returning home for two games next week. The Dogs host Big South surprise Coastal Carolina next Thursday (Jan. 7) night and then entertain Coastal Carolina next Saturday (Jan. 9).
NOTES - Radford leads the all-time series 29-26 and has won the last four games in the series...the Highlanders won all three meetings last year but each game was in doubt in the final minute with RU winning one game in overtime and the other on a shot with 1.5 seconds left...Sean Smith has made 158 career three-pointers and needs just five to pass Willie Black (162) into second place on Asheville's career list...the Bulldogs are 11-9 on the road in regular-season league games over the past three years...Asheville has out-rebounded three of its last four opponents, including a 43-29 advantage at WCU...the Bulldogs shot a season-high 81 percent (30-of-37) from the free throw line at WCU.
