Bulldogs Journey to Liberty to End Regular Season

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team finishes the regular season on Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs travel to Liberty for a 3 p.m. Big South battle.

Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN3 and the Big South Network. The game can also be heard locally on WWNC Radio (570-AM) and on iHeartRadio with the pre-game show starting at 2:30 p.m.

Asheville (13-15, 9-8 BSC) simply wants to win a game. The Bulldogs have lost four straight and have gone from being tied for first place down to seventh place in the league standings. Nick McDevitt's club could move up to sixth place with a win and a loss by Gardner-Webb at Radford on Saturday.

Asheville is assured of playing a first-round Big South Tournament game next Wednesday at Coastal Carolina. The Bulldogs will have to win four games in five days to win their third tournament title in the last five years. Asheville won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

The Blue & White battled hard against Big South-leading High Point Thursday night at Kimmel Arena before falling 75-71. Andrew Rowsey scored a season-high 39 points in the loss and tied a school-record for three-pointers made with eight. But the Panthers dominated the backboards with a 46-27 advantage and got key offensive put-backs late in the game when the Bulldogs were trying to rally.

“Our effort was great against High Point but we didn't do a good job of keeping them off the boards,” commented Asheville coach Nick McDevitt. “We only had nine turnovers and played some good defense at times but in a four-point game it can be the little things that can get you beat.”

Liberty (8-22, 2-15 BSC) has endured a tough season with a lot of injures and close losses. However, the Flames stunned Radford at the Vines Center on Saturday, 80-69. The loss was a devastating one for the Highlanders as it removed any chance of them finishing in first place.

“We've seen Liberty has played well as of late and they did a great job beating Radford Thursday night,” stated McDevitt. “That's a Radford team that just beat us at home last Saturday. We know this is going to be a very difficult game against a Liberty squad that is celebrating Senior Day. It's going to take 40 minutes of us playing intense basketball to have a chance.”

Ironically, the Bulldogs and Flames could meet in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday. An Asheville win and a Gardner-Webb loss would put the teams playing again in the first round.

“We're not worried about the Big South Tournament right now,” stated McDevitt. “Our focus is on Liberty and just trying to win a tough road game.”

The Bulldogs topped Liberty at Kimmel Arena back on Jan. 8 with a 71-54 triumph. David Robertson led Asheville with 20 points in that victory.

Sophomore guard Andrew Rowsey continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with an 18.6 David Robertson is second on the team in scoring with a 10.6 average.

Senior center Jaleel Roberts tops the Dogs in rebounding with a 5.1 average. He leads the Big South and is 22nd nationally in blocks with a 2.67 average.

BULLDOG NOTES

UNC Asheville looks to win its 10^th Big South Conference game on Saturday as the Bulldog program is looking for double-digit wins in league play for eighth straight year.

The four-game BSC losing streak is the longest by the Bulldogs since the 2009-10 season when Asheville dropped four in a row.

Andrew Rowsey has made 30 consecutive free throws and is third nationally in free throw percentage at .927 (114-of-123). He is 62-of-66 (.939) in BSC play.

Andrew scored a season-high 39 points vs. High Point Thursday night marking the third time this season he has scored at least 30 points.

Asheville is 11-2 when it out-rebounds its opponents.

The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings between the teams and have a 32-20 advantage in the series.