University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Liberty on Saturday Night
01.15.2010 | Men's Basketball
Asheville (4-12, 2-4 BSC) ended a frustrating six-game losing streak with a 97-84 Big South Conference win at VMI Thursday. The Bulldogs placed six players in double figures en route to the victory. Senior guard Sean Smith had a great game with a season-high 20 points. Asheville played good defense on VMI's perimeter game as the Keydets were just 5-of-35 from beyond the arc.
In addition, the Bulldogs shot the ball well from both the three-point line and free throw stripe, two areas Asheville has struggled with all year. The Dogs were 7-of-15 for 47 percent from long-distance and a solid 24-of-32 from the line for 75 percent.
"The win at VMI was long overdue," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We really needed to find a way to win, and we were able to do that on Thursday night. Our guys are battling and getting better but there's still work to be done.
"It was nice to see us shoot the ball so well," added Biedenbach. "We're better shooters than we've been showing this year, and hopefully we'll get that turned around in the right direction.
"We still turned the ball over too much and many of our turnovers were unforced," explained Biedenbach.
The Bulldogs played without starting center D.J. Cunningham. The freshman hurt his leg against Charleston Southern and is questionable for the Liberty game on Saturday.
Asheville's next Big South Conference win will be a milestone victory for Biedenbach. He has coached the Bulldogs to 108 league wins and that's second best in league history. Asheville's next league win will tie him with former Radford coach Ron Bradley who is the all-time leader with 109 wins.
The Bulldogs turn their attention to a Liberty squad that is always tough to beat at home. Asheville has lost its last three games at the Vines Center. The Flames are having a solid season and are 9-9 overall and 4-2 in Big South Conference. They knocked off Gardner-Webb at home on Thursday, 68-57.
"Liberty is a good young team that is getting better with each game," said Biedenbach. "We better be ready to play well on Saturday."
NOTES - The Bulldogs start a five-game homestand on Monday afternoon against Bluefield...Asheville shot a season-high 47 percent from the three-point line at VMI...the Bulldogs are 12-10 on the road in league play dating back to the end of the 2006-07 season...Asheville has not won at the Vines Center since an 83-81 overtime victory in the 2005-06 season and lost six of its last seven games here...sophomore guard J.P. Primm has scored in double figures in six straight games...sophomore forward Chris Stephenson just missed his first career double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds at VMI.
