University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Welcome Longwood in Big South Matchup
01.11.2016 | Women's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (12-3, 5-1 BSC)
Longwood (5-10, 2-4 BSC)
Location: Kimmel Arena / Asheville, N.C.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
VIDEO (BSC Network) - LIVE STATS
ASHEVILLE – The UNC Asheville Women's Basketball team returns home after three straight conference road games to face Longwood on January 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Kimmel Arena. The Bulldogs look to pick up a sixth conference win to stay atop the Big South Conference standings.
NOTABLES
Head-to Head: The Bulldogs are 4-1 against Longwood since Coach Brenda Kirkpatrick headed the program in 2012. Asheville's last lost to the Lancers came in regular season play on February 2, 2013 in Kimmel Arena. Coming into the matchup Longwood (2-4) sits in ninth place in BSC standings.
Bulldogs in the Big South: Saturday's win over Charleston Southern gives Asheville 12 wins on the season, this is the most wins for the Bulldogs in a season for Coach Kirkpatrick and her staff. The road win gives the Bulldogs a record of 5-1 and puts them back on top of the BSC for the second time this season.
Tiny but Mighty: The Bulldogs have a rebounding margin of +6.1 on the season. Asheville has out-rebounded their opponents in all of their wins this season except for one, a non-conference road game against Western Carolina on November 24th. On average, the Bulldogs pull down 41.6 boards per game to their opponents 35.5.
From the Gate: Three of Asheville's five conference wins have been decided by the start of the third quarter. The Bulldog's only comeback victory came on the road at Coastal Carolina where they came back from a deficit of as much as eight points. Asheville regained the lead with 1:54 left to play in the third quarter and outlasted Coastal to win by 11 points.
QUOTEABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK
On Longwood- "We are looking forward to tomorrow's match-up with Longwood. They have tremendous depth and I have a lot of respect for the new faces on the roster in addition to their returners. This game has been a battle for the last couple of years and tomorrow will be the same. We need to be extra focused offensively on shot selection and limiting turnovers.
On Defense- “Defensively we have emphasized getting all five people focused on the details of each possession. More often than not we have been playing good defense in the half court with the exception of any given player perhaps losing focus for a second or two. That cannot happen tomorrow night.
On Returning Home- “We are happy to be back at home, and I know folks will come out and support these ladies who started five of six conference games on the road.”
UP NEXT
-Following Tuesday's home game, the Bulldogs will host Gardner-Webb at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 16 as the first part of a Bulldog double header. The UNC Asheville's Men's basketball team will also host Gardner-Webb immediately following the Women's game at 4:30 p.m.
