Bulldogs Travel to South Carolina Wednesday Night

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team heads to SEC foe South Carolina Wednesday night as the Bulldogs take on the Gamecocks starting at 8 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be televised by the SEC Network. There will be a free audio stream at uncabulldogs.com.

Asheville (2-2) looks to bounce back from a tough 98-87 loss at East Tennessee State Saturday night. Andrew Rowsey led the Dogs with 29 points, but the Dogs were undone by 23 turnovers.

“We did a nice job offensively Saturday at ETSU as we scored 87 points and that was with 23 turnovers,” stated Bulldog coach Nick McDevitt. “I like the way our guys battled and fought back, but you can't beat good teams on the road with 23 turnovers.”

The Gamecocks are 2-3 on the season as they fell in the consolation game to Akron, 68-63 of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off in Charleston, S.C. on Sunday.

“South Carolina has a well-coached team that plays well at home,” commented McDevitt. “We can't turn the ball over like we did at ETSU to have any chance of winning Wednesday night.”

Wednesday's contest is a special one for senior guard Corey Littlejohn. Corey is a Columbia native who enjoyed a great prep career at Heathwood Hall School. He'll scheduled to start in the backcourt in his home town. Littlejohn is averaging 5.8 points per game and is tied for the team lead in steals with eight.

“We're glad we're going to have a chance for Corey Littlejohn to play in front of his family and friends at South Carolina,” said McDevitt. “He's been a good player for us and is an excellent leader for this young team.”

Asheville is being led in scoring by Rowsey with a 25.8 mark. His average is fourth best nationally. He'll enter Wednesday's contest with a streak of six straight games, dating back to last season, with 20 points or more. Rowsey has scored in double figures in 32 consecutive games.

Freshman forward Kem Ubaru has been named Big South Freshman of the Week twice in the early part of the season. The former Oak Hill Academy standout is second in the Bulldogs in scoring with a 13.8 average and tops the club in rebounding at 5.3. Ubaru is shooting .600 (18-of-30) from the field.

This is the first meeting between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs since Jan. 5, 2008 when Asheville edged USC, 61-58. The Bulldogs scored the final 10 points of the contest to pull off the upset. South Carolina has a 7-2 series advantage over Asheville.

This is a tough week for the Bulldogs as they'll return home to face Conference USA opponent Charlotte Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. It will be the 49ers first game on the Asheville campus in more than 40 years.

BULLDOG NOTES

UNC Asheville knocked off East Carolina on Nov. 16^th, 83-79. It marked the fourth time in the last five years the Bulldogs have defeated a team from a power conference. Asheville owns wins over Auburn (2010-11), Utah (2011-12), St. John's (2012-13) and East Carolina (2014-15).

Bulldog assistant coach Brett Carey was a volunteer assistant at South Carolina for the Gamecocks under Dave Odom. Brett worked for USC for two seasons (2005-07).

Asheville leads the Big South in scoring with an 81.5 average.

The Bulldogs sank 14 three-pointers in their loss at ETSU Saturday night. It was third most in school history.

Freshman forward Kem Ubaru has scored in double figures in each game he's played this season and made his first start of his career at ETSU.

Asheville made 23 turnovers at ETSU Saturday night. That's the most turnovers by a Bulldog squad since they made 24 at Ohio on Feb. 18, 2012.