University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
USC Upstate
Women's Basketball Runs Win Streak to Four after Friday Victory
11.27.2015 | Women's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 68 – USC Upstate 59
Teams: Asheville (4-1, 0-0 BSC)
USC Upstate (4-3, 0-0 ASun)
Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, N.C.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The winning streak is up to four now for the UNC Asheville women's basketball team after a Friday afternoon 68-59 victory over USC Upstate. Four Bulldogs finished with double-digit scoring nights to lead the offensive attack in the win.
THE TURNING POINT
A tight, four-point Bulldog lead at the half, Asheville held USC Upstate to just eight points in the third quarter to give themselves some breathing room for the final quarter of action.
NOTABLES
-Tianna Knuckles' 14 points led all Bulldog scorers, as she added eight rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes of action. Knuckles shot 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field.
-Ja'Da Brayboy notched 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while both Paige Love and Khaila Webb finished with 10 points. Love added eight rebounds and two steals while Webb grabbed two rebounds and added an assist.
-Brittany Clency finished with a game-high 17 points to pace Upstate in the loss, while Travonda Haddock also finished in double-digits, notching 13 points.
-As a team, the Bulldogs finished the afternoon shooting 35.5 percent (22-of-62) and hit 81 percent of their free throws. Asheville forced Upstate into 15 turnovers and received 24 points from the bench, led by Webb.
-Asheville led the entire second half and overall led the game for 30 of the 40 total minutes.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK
On the game – “Credit to USC Upstate, they are a tough team and have had a tough schedule to start the season. What we were trying to do was just grind them out, and I think at the end that's what you saw as they didn't even try to foul and put us on the free throw line. We have a lot of depth and wanted to wear them out, but I do think they were a little tougher than us in the first half. I'm proud of us playing possession to possession. We are going to continue to work on our defense, I thought we did ok tonight. That's the best post player we have gone against so far. Our coaches are still trying to get a feel for who can do what since we have a lot of capable pieces, which is a good thing to have.”
On opening Big South play on Monday – “Everybody plays 20 conference games so you have to start early. We are really going to be working on attacking their matchup zone and making sure that we are getting better each day with each practice. We have exams coming up, and because we have to get so many non-conference games in before Christmas, we are playing next Saturday at home.”
UP NEXT
-Following today's win, Asheville opens Big South Conference play on Monday night on the road at 7 p.m. against Presbyterian College. The Bulldogs return home next Saturday, December 5 when they host Warren Wilson as part of a doubleheader with the Bulldog men's team.
