Women's Basketball Travels to Mercer on Wednesday for 1 p.m. Contest

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville women's basketball team is back on the road Wednesday afternoon when the Bulldogs travel to Mercer for a 1 p.m. tip-off. Monday's game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio (1310-AM) with the pre-game show starting at 12:30 p.m.

Asheville (5-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped at Big East foe Marquette Saturday night, 75-46. The Bulldogs were down 41-15 at halftime but settled down in the second half as they scored 31 points against a tough defensive club.

"We struggled offensively at Marquette but we fought hard and it's a game that will make us tougher as the year goes on," commented Asheville coach Betsy Blose. "It was good to play a team like Marquette and it showed us things we need to work on to get better."

The Bulldogs play a snake-bit Mercer club that is 1-8 on the season. The Bears have played a tough schedule and been in most of their games but fallen short. They lost Monday night on a last-second shot to Big South foe Charleston Southern, 71-68.

"We're going to face a hungry Mercer team on Wednesday," declared Blose. "They have some real talent but have lost some close games. We need to be ready to play on Wednesday and play well before we go home for Christmas."

The Bulldogs have four players averaging in double figures going into the Mercer game. Senior guard Kendall Shepard leads Asheville and the Big South in scoring with a 17.4 average. Junior guard Lindsey Thompson has a 16.9 average. She leads the Big South in free throw percentage at 91.4% (32-of-35). Sophomore forward Kelli Riles continues to average a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds per game. Her 12.0 rebound average is now fifth nationally. Senior forward Lindsey Montgomery is averaging 16 points per game.

Mercer is led by freshman guard Briana Williams with a 16.0 scoring average.

After the game with Mercer, Asheville has a few days off for Christmas. The Bulldogs next game is at North Carolina Central on Dec. 29. Asheville's next home game will be its Big South opener vs. Radford on Jan. 3 at Justice Center starting at 7 p.m.

BULLDOG NOTES

UNC Asheville leads the Big South Conference in scoring (73.1) and free throw percentage (41.7%). The Bulldogs are second in free throw percentage (71.8%)

Kelli Riles leads the Big South in rebounding (12.0) and field goal percentage (58.3%).

Kendall Shepard tops the Big South in scoring (17.4) and is second in the league in assists (4.8). She is seventh in field goal percentage (44.9%).

The Bulldogs are 2-0 against Atlantic Sun teams this year.

Asheville has three of the top nine scorers in the Big South Conference: 1. Kendall Shepard (17.4), 2. Lindsey Thompson (16.9), 9. Kelli Riles (12.0).