University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
High Point
Bulldogs Fall at High Point, 72-51
01.24.2015 | Men's Basketball
HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point placed three players in double figures as the Panthers rolled to a 72-51 Big South Conference victory over UNC Asheville Saturday night at the Millis Center.
Sam Hughes led Asheville with 14 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs fell to 9-10 overall and 5-3 in league play.
HPU (15-5, 6-2 BSC) was led by John Brown with 15 points. Lorenzo Cugini finished with 14 points. Devante Wallace chipped in 10 points.
Asheville had a tough night offensively as the Bulldogs had 18 turnovers and shot 39 percent (22-of-56) from the field. Asheville's starting backcourt – Andrew Rowsey & David Robertson – combined for just five points. Each went 1-of-8 from the field.
“We didn't play well at all,” stated Bulldog coach Nick McDevitt. “We had way too many turnovers and didn't guard anybody. I wasn't sure what I was seeing out there at times with the way we played.
“We had six assists on 22 baskets this evening,” added McDevitt. “When we don't pass the ball and play individually, then we get beat and get beat badly.”
The Bulldogs led early 13-8 but turnovers doomed Asheville. Asheville had 10 turnovers in the first six minutes of the contest.
“We got off to a good start but we had 10 turnovers in the first few minutes of the game. Instead of being in front 13-8, we could have been up 20-8,” stated McDevitt.
High Point went on a 26-5 run over a 10-minute period as the Panthers raced to a 36-18 lead. Cugini had all 11 of his points during the run. Wallace's trey with the shot-clock winding down gave the home team an 18-point lead.
Asheville hit back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes of the half to close to 36-24 at halftime. The Bulldogs' 24 points marked the second lowest point total for Asheville in a half this season.
It didn't get better in the second half. The Panthers opened the half with a 13-4 run to quickly build a 49-28 lead. Asheville never got closer than 17 the rest of the game.
UNC Asheville plays next Wednesday night when the Bulldogs travel to Longwood for a Big South Conference contest starting at 7 p.m. The Blue & White return home to face Campbell next Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
