University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Presbyterian
Bulldogs Win Fifth Straight by Holding Off Presbyterian College, 99-89
01.23.2010 | Men's Basketball
The win was the Bulldogs (8-12, 5-4 BSC) fifth straight. It was Asheville's fifth win in the last 10 days. The Blue Hose (3-18, 1-8 BSC) were led by Walt Allen with 17 points.
Sophomore guard J.P. Primm scored a career-high 23 points for the Bulldogs and dished out six assists. Sophomore guard Matt Dickey had 19 points and a career-best nine assists. D.J. Cunningham chipped in 12 points and six rebounds.
The victory did not come easily for Asheville as the Blue Hose went 13-for-21 from the three-point line 62 percent. The Bulldogs led most of the game but simply could never put the visitors away.
PC had four other players score in double figures. Travis Smith and Khalid Mutakabbir added 14 points each. Chase Holmes chipped in 12 points, while Zach Faircloth finished with 11 points. Allen, Smith and Faircloth all had three treys in the game.
"We did a great job on offense today," stated Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I thought our guys executed very well. We let them back in the game and didn't play as good as defense as we could have. However, I'm proud of our guys for finding a way to win the game.
"You have to give Presbyterian a lot of credit," added Biedenbach. "They never let us pull way."
Asheville led 52-38 at halftime and built the lead to 16 at 64-48 on a tap-in from Cunningham with 14 minutes left. However, the Blue Hose got hot from the three-point line and steadily got back in the game. Allen scored nine points during a PC run and his tap-in of a missed shot with 6:23 left cut the Bulldog lead to 76-73.
But Asheville responded by scoring inside, drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Dickey and Primm combined to go 12-of-14 from the line in the final six minutes to help seal the victory. Williams had three thunderous dunks off feeds from Dickey to answer each PC rally.
The Bulldogs shot a season-high 63 percent from the field (19-of-30) in the first half to race to a 52-38 halftime lead. Williams led the way for Asheville inside as he scored 14 points in the opening half. The junior forward was 6-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.
Dickey and Primm combined for 21 points in the first half. Dickey scored 11 points, while Primm added 10. Dickey was 4-of-7 from the field, all lay-ups in transition. Primm sank two 3-pointers in the opening half.
The Blue Hose hung in the game for most of the first half thanks to great three-point shooting. PC went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Allen and Faircloth both made two treys each.
Williams went 11-of-15 from the field and blocked four shots. Asheville controlled the backboards with a 41-27 advantage. The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Hose 47-33 in the paint.
UNC Asheville returns to action Thursday night against Big South rival High Point at Justice Center starting at 7 p.m. The Blue Hose return to action Thursday evening at 7 p.m., when they host Coastal Carolina.
NOTES - Asheville's five-game winning streak is the longest since the Bulldogs won seven in a row in the 2007-08 season...Williams' double-double was his second of the year and seventh of his career...Dickey has scored in double figures in five straight games...Primm has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games.
