University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Campbell
Bulldogs Roar Past Campbell 95-84
01.28.2012 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Matt Dickey scored a career-high 31 points and tied a school record with seven steals as UNC Asheville roared past Campbell 95-84 in Big South Conference action Saturday afternoon at Kimmel Arena.
The Bulldogs (16-7, 11-1 BSC) also got a double-double from forward Jeremy Atkinson with 20 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. J.P. Primm added 23 points for Asheville.
Campbell (14-10, 8-4 BSC) was led by Lorne Merthie's 22 points. Eric Griffin pumped in 14 points and 10 rebounds.
"We beat a very good Campbell team today," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I thought our defense was much better in the second half and our guys really executed well on offense in the second half.
"We're fortunate to have two guys like Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm that can score in a lot of different ways," added Biedenbach. "Those guys did a great job scoring, drawing fouls and on defense."
"I can't say enough about Jeremy Atkinson's performance," Biedenbach also said. "He was a real warrior inside and gave us some great play there."
The Bulldogs trailed 43-41 at halftime. The Camels were red-hot from the three-point line as they went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc to take the two-point lead.
Asheville took charge of the game early in the second half. With the game tied at 49-49, the Bulldogs went on an 19-2 run over a five-minute stretch to send the Kimmel Arena crown into a frenzy at 68-51 with 11:48 left. Primm led the charge with two three-pointers, while Dickey added seven points. Atkinson finished the run with two free throws and a lay-up off a pass from Trent Meyer
Campbell could get no closer than the final margin. The Bulldogs led by as many as 21 points before settling for the 11-point victory.
Asheville had a great day at the foul line as it went 33-of-36 from the charity stripe. Dickey was 13-of-15 from the line, while Atkinson was 11-of-12.
The Bulldog defense forced 19 Campbell turnovers with Asheville getting 10 steals. Dickey's seven steals ties a single-game school record with four other Bulldog players.
The Camels held the advantage on the backboards with a 37-28 edge. Campbell had 16 second-chance points to six for the Bulldogs.
Merthie was sensational for Campbell. He went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Trey Freeman added 13 points and four assists for the Camels.
Asheville shot .600 (15-of-25) from the field in the second half. The 95 points was the third highest point total by the Bulldogs this year and highest against a Division I opponent.
UNC Asheville is back on the road for two games next week. The Bulldogs play at VMI on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and then travel to Liberty Saturday, also at 7 p.m. Campbell returns home to face Charleston Southern Thursday night at 7 p.m.
