University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Open Big South Conference Play at Radford on Thursday
12.01.2010 | Men's Basketball
Asheville (2-4) will be trying to break a three-game losing streak on Thursday. The Bulldogs are coming off a frustrating and disappointing 93-91 double-overtime loss at USC Upstate Monday night. Asheville led by six late in regulation only to see the Spartans tie the game with a last-second three-pointer. The Bulldogs had leads in the first and second overtime periods but simply could not hold on and fell to 2-4 on the young season.
"Monday was a tough loss," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We started out poorly (trailed by 13 in first half) and did a good job getting back in the game in the second half. However, we just had some turnovers at crucial times that just really hurt us down the stretch. We had ample opportunities to win the game but in the end we just didn't get it done."
The Bulldogs are in the middle of a five-game road trip that had them playing games at North Carolina and Georgetown last week followed by the USC Upstate game Monday night. Asheville finishes the road swing at Radford on Thursday and at High Point Saturday night.
"We're excited about entering conference play," declared Biedenbach. "The Big South looks wide open this year with everyone posting some good non-conference wins. Every game is going to be tough. There's no automatic wins for anybody this season."
The Highlanders are 2-3 on the season and have lost three straight. However, Radford has lost at South Carolina, George Mason and Charlotte.
"We know Radford will be well-coached by Brad Greenburg and they'll be ready to play on Thursday," stated Biedenbach. "Our guys better be ready to go in a place that has been tough on us over the years."
Asheville has lost on its last four trips to Radford. The Bulldogs have never beaten a Brad Greenberg-coached team on the road.
Asheville hopes to keep an amazing trend going for them on Thursday. The Bulldogs are 13-1 under Eddie Biedenbach in Big South lid-lifters. Asheville has won four straight entering Thursday night's contest, including last year's thrilling 58-56 win at Gardner-Webb.
"That's a nice game-note but every year is different," explained Biedenbach. "We just need to get the job done at Radford on Thursday night."
Matt Dickey leads Asheville in scoring with an 18.3 average, while J.P Primm is next at 18.2 points per game. Radford is led by Gorkem Sonmez with a 10.2 average.
NOTING THE BULLDOGS
Senior forward John Williams will be out for Thursday's game due to a facial injury suffered at North Carolina last week (Nov. 23).
The Bulldogs have been very slow getting out of the gates this year. Asheville has trailed in five of its six games this season at intermission, never scoring more than 31 points in those five games. The Bulldogs have averaged just 26.2 points per game in the opening half in the five games. On the other side, Asheville has out-scored all six of its opponents this year, including Auburn, North Carolina and Georgetown. Minus the Virginia Intermont game, the Bulldogs are averaging 41.6 points per game.
UNC Asheville is being led this year by its guards. Junior Matt Dickey is averaging 18.3 points per game, while junior J.P. Primm has an 18.2 average. That's good for third and fourth place in the latest Big South statistics. Both are approaching 1,000 career points and could get it later in the season. Primm has 778 career points, while Dickey has 806 points.
The Bulldogs are seventh nationally in steals (71) and are averaging 11.8 steals per game. Asheville has at least 10 steals in five different games this year, including 13 at North Carolina and 10 at Auburn and Georgetown. The Bulldogs tied a school-record with 20 steals vs. Virginia Intermont.
Sophomore center D.J. Cunningham grabbed a career-best 18 rebounds at USC Upstate Monday night. That's the most rebounds a Bulldog player has grabbed in a game in the Division I era. The last time an Asheville player grabbed 18 rebounds was when Byron Samuels grabbed 18 in the 1985-86 season. Cunningham is tied for the lead in the Big South in blocked shots with a 2.0 per game mark.
The Bulldogs seem to like playing overtime games. Dating back to last season, Asheville has played four of its last 11 games in overtime. All of these games have occurred on the road and the Bulldogs are 2-2.
Radford leads the all-time series, 30-27. The Bulldogs broke a five-game losing streak in the series when Asheville recorded a 92-84 win at Justice Center on Jan. 31, 2010. The Bulldogs have not won at Radford since the 2006-07 season when Asheville recorded a 77-67 victory. The Highlanders won the next year when they upset Asheville, 62-53.
