University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Gardner-Webb
Bulldogs Down Gardner-Webb 71-61
02.23.2012 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Jaron Lane posted the first double-double of his career as he scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UNC Asheville to a hard-fought 71-61 Big South Conference victory over visiting Gardner-Webb Thursday night.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (12-18, 6-11 BSC) enjoyed a sensational game from Tashan Newsome who led all scorers with a career-high 33 points. He grabbed nine rebounds for Gardner-Webb.
The Bulldogs (20-9, 15-2 BSC) earned their 20th victory of the year with the win. The 20 wins by Asheville gives them back-to-back season with 20 victories for the second straight year. The Bulldogs were 20-14 last season.
Asheville picked up 16 points from Matt Dickey, while Jeremy Atkinson finished with 13 points as the Bulldogs rallied from a three-point deficit midway through the second half.
"We found a way to win and that was good to see," stated Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "Gardner-Webb plays good defense and doesn't make anything easy for you. It's always a tough game with them whenever we play.
"What was good about tonight is that it was a lot like a tournament game," added Biedenbach. "We played pretty good defense and did a nice job on the boards. Those are the kind of things you have to do to win tournament games. "
Gardner-Webb went on a 9-0 run early in the second half as the Runnin' Bulldogs roared to a 39-36 lead with 13:38 left. Newsome had six points in the run.
Asheville responded with a 9-0 run of its own to regain the lead as the home team got points from four different players to take the lead for good at 45-39.
After a basket from Donta Harper cut the lead to 45-41, the Bulldogs scored the next points, all by Lane as Asheville pushed the lead to 52-41 at the 6:48 mark,
The Dogs led 57-45 after three free throws from J.P. Primm before Gardner-Webb made one more final run. The Runnin' Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run over the next three minutes to cut the lead to 61-57 on a long trey from Newsome.
The teams swapped treys as Dickey knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead to 64-57. Tyler Strange hit from long distance to cut the lead to 64-60.
But that was the last field goal of the game for the Runnin' Bulldogs. A dunk and two free throws from Atkinson increased the lead to 68-60.
Both teams will finish the regular season on Saturday. Asheville hosts Winthrop on Senior Day at 2 p.m., while Gardner-Webb hosts Presbyterian College at 4:30 p.m.
NOTES
UNC Asheville is 11-2 at Kimmel Arena this season...the Bulldogs have won 21 of their last 23 games against Big South Conference teams over the past two years...Matt Dickey has scored in double figures in 26 of 29 games this season...the Bulldogs out-rebounded Gardner-Webb 38-31 and have now out-rebounded five of their last six opponents.
