University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Set to Host VMI on New Year's Eve
12.30.2010 | Men's Basketball
Asheville (6-6, 1-1 BSC) is coming off a hard-fought 85-79 overtime win over mountain rival Western Carolina Tuesday night at Justice Center. The Bulldogs rallied late in the game to send the contest into overtime. J.P. Primm scored seven of his game-high 26 points to allow Asheville to escape with the victory.
"I was proud of guys for finding a way to grind out a victory against a well-coached Western Carolina club," stated Bulldog coach Eddie Biedenbach. "Both teams didn't have a chance to practice much with the weather and at times it showed but it was a terrific ballgame that we were fortunate to come away with a victory."
Asheville has a tough task with the high-scoring Keydets on Friday. VMI leads the nation in scoring yet again with a 93.3 average. The Keydets (7-5, 0-2 BSC) have scored at least 100 points in four different games, including an amazing 151 vs. Central Pennsylvania on Nov. 29. VMI has not played since a 98-70 loss at Marshall on Dec. 19.
"I'm very impressed with VMI," declared Biedenbach. "They're always tough to play with the style they play. We're going to have to play extremely well to get a win against them."
VMI is being led by sophomore forward Stan Okoye who is averaging a double-double. He averages 20 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 57.9% (92-of-159) from the field. Guard Keith Gabriel averages 16.4 points per game. Guard Austin Kenon is next at 15.1 points.
The Bulldogs continue to be led by their backcourt. Junior guard J.P. Primm leads Asheville in scoring (17.2), assists (51), steals (26) and three-pointers made (27). Primm is joined in the backcourt by junior Matt Dickey who is right behind Primm in all those stats. He's averaging 15.7 points per game and is second in assists (38), steals (25) and three-pointers made (21).
Asheville is in the middle of a busy week. The Bulldogs finish their three-game homestand Sunday afternoon when they entertain Liberty at 2 p.m.
Bulldog Notes
The Bulldogs' overtime win over Western Carolina was their 13th straight victory at Justice Center. It's the longest homecourt winning streak since a 17-game win streak from the 1996-97 season until the 1998-99 campaign.
UNC Asheville leads the all-time series 12-6 as the Bulldogs enter this afternoon's game with a three-game winning streak in the series. However, VMI has felt at home at Justice Center over the years, winning three of the last four times they've played here. Asheville did manage to win both meetings last year. The Bulldogs won at Cameron Hall, 97-84 on Jan. 14. The teams then met in the highest-scoring game ever played by Asheville in league play with the Bulldogs recording a wild 114-97 victory at Justice Center on Feb. 13.
Hopefully today's game will be over in time to celebrate 2011 but when you watch the Bulldogs play, there's a pretty good chance you may get to see some free basketball. In 12 games this year, Asheville has played three overtime games. Dating back to last season, the Bulldogs have had five overtime games in the last 17 contests they've played. Asheville is 2-1 this year in overtime and 3-2 dating back to last season
Today's game will feature two of the top teams in the nation in steals. VMI is third nationally in steals with an 11.1 average, while the Bulldogs are eighth in that category with a 10.2 per game mark.
J.P Primm has scored in double figures in 11 of Asheville's 12 games this year. He is having a tremendous year and that shows up in the Big South stats. Entering today's game, Primm is third in the league in scoring (17.2), assists (4.3) and steals (2.2). He leads the league in three-point percentage (41.5%) and is fourth in three-pointers made (2.3) and sixth in free throw percentage (80.3%).
