University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Johnson & Wales
Bulldogs Top Century Mark in Saturday Victory
12.05.2015 | Men's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 103, Johnson & Wales 36
Teams: Asheville (4-4, 0-0 BSC)
Johnson & Wales (4-4, 0-0 USCAA)
Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, N.C.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Twelve different UNC Asheville players contributed points and five Bulldogs finished in double-figures as the UNC Asheville men's basketball team returned home after nearly three weeks and cruised to a 103-36 Saturday afternoon victory over Johnson & Wales.
THE TURNING POINT
The Bulldogs held Johnson & Wales to just 14 first half points on 15 percent (5-of-33) shooting in the opening 20 minutes to jump out to the big halftime advantage and they didn't look back.
NOTABLES
-Freshman Dylan Smith led the Bulldogs with a game-high 24 points in 27 minutes of action as he added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the win.
-Sam Hughes and John Cannon each notched 15 points, David Robertson tallied 11 points and Ahmad Thomas added 10 points to round out the Asheville double-figure scorers. Hughes tallied three rounds and three steals, Cannon grabbed five rebounds and two blocks, Robertson passed out two assists and Thomas had five rebounds and two steals in addition to their point total.
-Asheville shot 62.5 percent (40-of-64) for the game while adding 11 three-point baskets (39 percent) in the win. The Bulldogs forced Johnson & Wales into 18 turnovers and notched 23 points off those turnovers.
-The Bulldogs were a force inside, finishing with 54 points in the paint, as the bench finished with 52 total points as 13 total players saw action.
-Today's win was the first time the Bulldogs had tallied 100 points since Feb. 26, 2014 in a 107-100 overtime loss at Winthrop. The last time Asheville hit 100 points in a win was the game immediately prior to the Winthrop loss, a 100-85 home victory over Coastal Carolina on Feb. 22, 2014. In total, the Bulldogs had three games scoring 100 or more points in the 2013-2014 season, but had just a 1-2 record in those games.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On the game – “It was a good overall team win. I was happy with our defensive effort, as Johnson & Wales is a team that is capable from behind the arc of hitting shots if you don't guard them. To only give up 14 points in the first half speaks to the level of how our team is starting to understand the importance of effort on the defensive end. To give up 48 points against Loyola in the final game up in Alaska and 36 tonight, we are starting to tune in a little more on that end of the floor, which is a good sign.”
On Dylan Smith – “He's getting better every game. I didn't want to play him that many minutes, but with Trae Bryant fouling out and, he's ok, but David Robertson tweaking and ankle, Dylan played a little more than we wanted to but he's playing really well right now and has a lot of confidence. We need him to. Having him and Dwayne playing as well as they are right now as freshmen is an added bonus for our team and backcourt.”
On playing well heading into Big South play – “We are starting to play with the intensity and effort you have to have to win games. We still have work to do – which is a good thing – on executing things on both ends of the floor. When you see mistakes, those are easier to handle when they are being made through effort. I don't like seeing guys making mistakes due to a lack of effort or being absent minded out there. Right now we are trying to lock in and make plays on both ends of the floor. You have to have that in conference play – everyone is familiar with each other, you play everybody twice, so it will come down to execution.”
On the schedule leading up to Campbell – “We will take several days off this week due to having a week before Campbell but also since we are in the middle of finals. We will try to get into some sort of normalcy about midweek. Between the long trip to Alaska and finals starting as soon as we got back, it's been a little different as far as our daily schedule so it will be nice to get back into our routine.”
UP NEXT
-After today's win, the Bulldogs wrap up final exams and are off until next Sunday, December 13, when they open Big South Conference play against Campbell inside Kimmel Arena.
