Women's Hoops Hosts WCU on Education Day Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville women's basketball team hosts mountain rival Western Carolina on Education Day at Kimmel Arena Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday's matinee will be broadcast locally on WPEK Radio (880-AM) with the pre-game show starting at 11:15 a.m. The game can also heard on-line iHeartRadio. Fans can watch the game for free on the Big South Network by clicking this link.

More than 1,000 youngsters from area local schools are scheduled to attend Wednesday's contest for Education Day.

The Bulldogs (3-6) are coming off a 60-44 victory at Big South foe Longwood Sunday afternoon. Asheville is now 2-0 in Big South Conference play for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Tianna Knuckles led the Blue & White with 14 points, while Paige Love added 13 points.

Western Carolina is 5-4 on the season after falling at Virginia Tech on Sunday, 79-58. Justin Taylor led the Lady Cats with 32 points.

"WCU is playing extremely well and will be a great test for us on Wednesday. They have one of the best scoring guards in the SoCon in Justin Taylor and other very capable pieces at all positions as well that make it difficult to key in on one player,” stated Asheville coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of more than 1000 youngsters from all of Buncombe County schools systems as well. It should be a lot of fun and a great match-up."

The Bulldogs look for their first win over the Lady Cats in six years. WCU has won the last five meetings between the teams. Asheville's last win came in the 2008-09 season when the Bulldogs defeated the eventual SoCon champs, 90-72 at Justice Center. The Catamounts won last year's meeting in Cullowhee, 62-51. They won two years ago at Kimmel Arena in the first game of Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick's coaching career at Asheville, 58-45.

Asheville is led in scoring by sophomore guard Tianna Knuckles with a 9.8 average. She enjoyed two great games last week with 16 points at Furman on Wednesday and 14 at Longwood on Sunday. Knuckles went 10-of-13 from the field last week and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Shonese Jones has a 9.2 average. Senior forward Jeannie Buckner tops the Bulldogs in rebounds with a 6.6 mark, Senior guard Brittany Gwyn leads Asheville in assists (24) and steals (13).

BULLDOG NOTES

UNC Asheville is 2-2 at home this year at Kimmel Arena

The Bulldogs are 0-3 against SoCon teams this season, losing at home to ETSU and Wofford and falling last week at Furman.

Senior guard Shonese Jones moved into 11th place on Asheville's career scoring list on Wednesday at Furman. She scored eight points and moved past former Bulldog great Tonisha Jackson (1,095). Shonese scored seven points at Longwood and now has 1,110 career points. Her 1,110 point makes her the Big South's leading active career scorer.

The Bulldogs were glad to get back Paige Love last week after she suffered a nose injury vs. Barton (Nov. 24). She missed three games and Asheville really missed her. Love played some against Furman before starting against Longwood on Sunday. She scored a season-high 13 points against the Lancers.

Senior forward Jeannie Buckner has done a great job on the glass for Asheville this season and leads the Bulldogs in rebounding with a 6.6 average. She has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in four of the last seven games, including a career-best 14 vs. Barton (Nov. 24).

UNC Asheville center Tiffany Wilson is this week's Big South Freshman of the Week. The league announced its award winners for the week of December 8-14 on Monday. Wilson shot 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from the field and averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in two contests last week. She scored a career-high 16 points at Furman on Wednesday, knocking down 8-of-11 shots. In a win at Longwood on Sunday, she was 3-of-5 (60%) from the floor for six points and added seven rebounds.