University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men's Basketball at East Carolina on Sunday
11.15.2014 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team looks for its first victory of the season when the Bulldogs travel across state to play East Carolina Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Sunday's matinee will be broadcast locally on WPEK (880-AM) with the pre-game show starting at 1:30 p.m. Fans can also watch the game on their computer of mobile devices on ESPN3.
Asheville (0-1) competed and battled Wake Forest on Friday night before falling to the Demon Deacons, 80-69 in Winston-Salem. Sophomore guard Andrew Rowsey dazzled the Joel Coliseum Crown with a game-high 26 points. Asheville forced the home team into 24 turnovers with Rowsey getting a career-high six steals in the contest. However, Wake Forest's size and inside game wore the Bulldogs down late in the game.
David Robertson and freshman Kem Ubaru added 10 points each for the Dogs. Asheville had a tough game shooting as it shot just .323 (20-of-64) from the field.
“Our guys weren't happy giving Wake Forest a good game. They were disappointed they didn't win and that's good to see,” stated Bulldog coach Nick McDevitt. “We did a lot of good things Friday night but it's time to turn the page and get ready for a talented East Carolina squad on Sunday.”
ECU (1-0) won its opener on Friday by downing North Carolina Wesleyan, 99-81 at home. The teams met last year for the first time in 17 seasons in Kingston, Rhode Island. Asheville and the Pirates played in the consolation round of the Preseason NIT with ECU holding off the Bulldogs, 72-64.
“East Carolina has a good team. Jeff Lebo (ECU's head coach) has been doing a nice job down there the past few years and, we'll need to play well,” explained McDevitt. “We like playing in-state teams and this should be a great opportunity for us on Sunday.”
After the ECU contest, the Bulldogs return to Kimmel Arena to play their home opener on Wednesday against Johnson & Wales at 7 p.m.
BULLDOG NOTES
Sophomore guard Andrew Rowsey had the best freshman year in school history last season. He was tabbed Big South Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-Conference honors as he averaged 20.3 points per game. The Lexington, Va. native set an Asheville single-season record for most three-pointers with 106. He scored in double figures in 31 of the Bulldogs' 32 games. His 20.3 scoring average was the second highest for a freshman in the nation a year ago. Rowsey scored 30 points or more in five different games, including a 41-point explosion at Radford that set a Dedmon Center scoring record. Entering today's game, he has scored in double figures in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season. Rowsey made the Big South Preseason All-Conference first team. He is the seventh leading scorer in the nation returning from last year.
Asheville was 5-10 away from home last season.
The Bulldogs have been the best team in the Big South Conference over the last seven seasons, compiling a league mark of 78-40 (.661). Asheville has finished in the top four of the league each season and won two regular-season titles and two tournament titles. The Dogs have appeared in the semifinals of the BSC Tournament seven times in the last eight tourneys.
UNC Asheville is a preseason pick to finish in sixth place in this year's Big South Conference. The Bulldogs open BSC play at Radford on Dec. 31.
Asheville will be a little short-handed at East Carolina as the Bulldogs will not have the services of red-shirt sophomore forward Will Weeks and freshman guard Ahmad Thomas. Weeks, a Big South All-Rookie selection in 2012, missed most of last season with a knee injury. He will miss some time in the early part of the year. Thomas, a freshman guard from Danville, Va., will be out a few games with a leg injury.
