Women's Basketball Hosts Winthrop on Saturday at 2 p.m.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville women's basketball team begins a two-game homestand Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs host Winthrop in a key Big South Conference contest at Justice Center starting at 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio (1310 & 970 AM) with the pre-game show at 1:30 p.m. The game will also be audio and video-streamed and can be seen for a small fee at www.uncabulldogs.com.

Asheville (8-8, 1-4 BSC) is looking for some success at Justice Center. The Bulldogs are 0-3 in league games at home. Asheville is done a nice job on the road this year and has a 4-3 record in enemy territory this season. The Bulldogs split BSC road games last weekend with a 65-53 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday before falling at Charleston Southern on Monday, 85-74.

"We need to protect our turf and start winning some home games," commented Bulldog coach Betsy Blose. "Our team has played well on the road and had some good games at home but we need to put together a winning streak at Justice Center. "

The Bulldogs face a tough task in Winthrop. The Eagles (8-8, 2-2 BSC) have won four straight in the series. They've posted three consecutive victories at Justice Center. Winthrop enters this afternoon's game with wins in four of its last six games. As usual, Bud Childers has his team playing excellent defense. Winthrop has not allowed any opponent to score more than 70 points against them. In the past 10 games, no opponent has scored more than 55 points against Winthrop. Freshman Dequesha McClanahan leads the Eagles in scoring with as 12.7 scoring average. Lacey Lyons is averaging 8.3 points per game.

"Winthrop plays great defense and they have some excellent young players," admitted Blose. "They've been a little up-and-down like us, but we know we'll get their best shot on Saturday. I want us to be ready to play from the start and play well for 40 minutes."

Kendall Shepard continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with a 14.4 average. Lindsey Montgomery is averaging 13.5 points per game, while Lindsey Thompson has a 13.2 mark. Kelli Riles is averaging a double-double with a 12.8 scoring and 11.1 rebounding averages.

"We want to play better on defense," commented Blose. "We're working hard on that. On Monday at Charleston Southern, we let them score 49 points in the first half and it's hard to win when you allow that many points in a half."

BULLDOG NOTES

Sophomore forward Kelli Riles continues to have a fantastic season for the Bulldogs. She has posted nine double-doubles on the year and leads the Big South Conference in rebounding (11.1) and field goal percentage (57.4%). Those statistics have her nationally ranked, as well. She's 10^th nationally in field goal percentage and 15^th in rebounding. Her 12.8 scoring average is the third highest on the team and seventh in the Big South Conference.

Asheville is 4-5 at home this season.

The Bulldogs continue to be a real force on offense this season. Asheville is first in the Big South in scoring (70.1), field goal percentage (40.7%) and tied for first in free throw percentage (71.2%). In addition, Asheville has three of the top seven scoring leaders in the league. Kendall Shepard is second in the conference with a 14.5 average, while Lindsey Thompson is fifth at 13.2. Kelli Riles is seventh with a 12.8 scoring average.