Bulldogs Roar Past Liberty 98-75

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - J.P. Primm scored 21 points and grabbed three rebounds to lead UNC Asheville to a 98-75 Big South Conference win over Liberty Saturday evening at Kimmel Arena.

The Bulldogs (10-6, 5-0 BSC) won their fourth straight game as Primm became the first player in Big South Conference history to have more than 500 assists, 200 steals and 400 rebounds. He now has 534 assists, 211 steals and 400 rebounds.

The senior guard was hot from the three-point line. He went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and was 7-of-11 from the field. The six treys were a career high.

Jesse Sanders of Liberty (5-12, 0-5 BSC) became the Big South's all-time leader in assists early in the first half. He finished with 12 points and 10 assists for the game. Sanders now has a career total of 613.

"We played very well offensively today. It was nice to see J.P. Primm shoot the ball so well," commented Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "It's nice to win at home as our fans have done a great job supporting us in our new arena."

Asheville had five other players in double figures as Jaron Lane finished with 15 points. Chris Stephenson, Jeremy Atkinson and Keith Hornsby all added 12 points each. Matt Dickey chipped in 11 points and four assists.

The Bulldogs shot the ball very well on the day. Asheville shot .621 (36-of-58) from field and was a scorching 15-of-29 (.517) from beyond the arc. The 15 treys is the second highest made by an Asheville team in school history.

Liberty had a game-high 18 points from John Caleb Sanders. Taveras chipped in 12 points off the bench.

Asheville led from start to finish. The first-half was close for most of the way as the Flames were within one point at 26-25 before the Bulldogs went on an 11-1 run to build a 37-26 lead. Hornsby sparked the run with seven points, including a long three-pointer and a dunk off a missed shot.

The home team led by as many as 13 at 42-29 on two free throws from Dickey before Jesse Sanders lay-up as the horn sounded cut the Asheville lead to 44-34 at halftime.

Primm heated up in the second half as he scored 18 of his 21 points after intermission. He went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and his other basket came on a three-point pass off a pass from Dickey.

Asheville shot an incredible .769 (20-of-26) from the field in the second half. The Bulldogs also shot a season-high .692 (9-of-13) from beyond the arc in the second stanza.

The home team led by as many as 29 points in the second half before setting for the 23-point victory.

Asheville begins a two-game Big South road swing at Campbell Thursday night at 7 p.m. Liberty travels to VMI Tuesday night at 7 p.m.