University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Wake Forest
Wake Forest Holds off UNC Ashevile, 80-69
11.14.2014 | Men's Basketball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Andrew Rowsey scored a game-high 26 points but Wake Forest used a big advantage at the free throw line to hold off UNC Asheville, 80-89 at Joel Coliseum Friday night.
The Bulldogs (0-1) also had 10 points from David Robertson and freshman Kem Ubaru.
The Deacons were led by Devin Thomas with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Wake Forest went 32-of-45 from the free throw line and out-rebounded the Dogs, 49-25.
Rowsey kept UNC Asheville close thanks to a variety of leaners, fadeaways, scoop shots and 3-pointers. Last season's Big South Freshman of the Year's three free throws got the Bulldogs (0-1) within 49-47 with 11:26 left.
But Thomas then went to work, consistently getting to the free-throw line in a 13-2 spurt for Wake Forest (1-0) that saw UNC Asheville big men Giacomo Zilli and Jaleel Roberts foul out.
"First I would like to congratulate Wake Forest. I thought for the most part, I was pleased with how our team battled. We talked a lot about effort stats. The stat sheet tells a lot about Devin Thomas...he is a man. We knew that coming into this game. He is a tough match-up,” stated Bulldog coach Nick McDevitt. “We threw a lot of different things at him, and he still came away with 25 and 13 and that is what good players do. I felt like there were a couple big possessions where we got it to a one-possession game, but we could never get it to that big stop and to take the lead. They just kept coming up with big plays. Again congrats to Wake, but I was still proud of our team."
The Bulldogs forced Wake Forest into 24 turnovers, compared to just 12 for the Blue & White.
"We felt like we could pressure them a little bit. Against a team like this, live-ball turnovers are dumps on the other end. Bad shots turn into transition buckets for the other team,” stated McDevitt. “I was real proud of our team for having 12 turnovers and nobody had over two. Obviously I am not satisfied with playing an ACC team close. I liked the attitude in our locker room. They were disappointed when we lost and I like that."
UNC Asheville plays next at East Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m.
