University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Radford
Bulldogs Fall in OT at Radford, Remain in First Place Tie
01.14.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Radford 91 – Asheville 86 (OT)
Teams: Asheville (12-6, 5-1 BSC)
Radford (10-8, 3-3 BSC)
Location: Dedmon Center / Radford, VA
RADFORD, VA – UNC Asheville saw six players combine for all but one of its points, but suffered its first Big South Conference loss of the season in a 91-86 overtime game at Radford Thursday night.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs remain in a first place tie with High Point, who also lost Thursday night, as well as Gardner-Webb, who was idle. Asheville will battle Garner-Webb Saturday afternoon inside Kimmel Arena.
THE TURNING POINT
Asheville took a five-point lead on Will Weeks' layup with 1:28 remaining in regulation, but wouldn't get another shot attempt in regular time, going 0-of-2 from the free throw line with two turnovers. The Bulldogs never had the lead in overtime, with Radford scoring the first points and Asheville's last made field goal in overtime coming with 2:21 remaining.
NOTABLES
-Weeks finished with a game-high 23 points (10-of-14 from the floor) as he notched a double-double, adding 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes of action. It was the second 20-plus point game of the season for Weeks, who finished with 25 points in the season opener at Tennessee.
-Dylan Smith tallied 18 points (five three-point baskets), Kevin Vannatta finished with 13 points and Sam Hughes totaled 11 points. Ahmad Thomas and Raekwon Miller each finished with 10 points in the loss.
-The Bulldogs entered the night allowing 67.4 points per contest, and are now 0-4 this season when allowing 80 or more points. The 91 points allowed are the most this season (previously 90 to Western Carolina Nov. 15).
-Asheville was outrebounded 42-36 in the loss, with 26 of its boards coming on the defensive glass. The Bulldogs have now been outrebounded four times this season and are 1-3 when losing the rebounding battle.
-The Bulldogs shot 44 percent (30-of-68) from the floor in the loss, hitting nine of their 21 three-point attempts. Radford shot 52 percent (36-of-69) from the floor in the game, including hitting five of six attempts in overtime. The hosts were 5-of-17 from three-point range.
-Asheville tallied three more points than Radford at the free throw line, but had nine more attempts (Asheville 17-25; Radford 14-16).
-Radford received scoring contributions from nine different players, including four with double-figures in the win. Rashun Davis (16 points) led the way for the hosts, followed by Cameron Jones (15 points), Ed Polite Jr. and Kion Brown (14 points each).
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On the game – “We didn't get enough stops to win the game, you can't give up 91 points and win. There were some critical possessions where we didn't get stops, and then we mishandled the end of regulation. When you have a five-point lead with a minute to go, you should win the game. With fouls, turnovers and missed free throws – it cost us.”
On Will Weeks – “Certainly Will is a very versatile player. He can score around the bucket and is a good passer. We always feel comfortable when he has the ball, and he looked good out there tonight. We wanted to keep him involved in the offense and he played well tonight.”
On the Gardner-Webb matchup – “We have to have a short memory and be smart how we prepare over the next day or so. We have to make sure we recover from an overtime game, while Gardner-Webb's last game was this past Saturday. They've had a week to prepare and we are on the road on Thursday night in an overtime game with a tough loss. We have to be smart about how we prepare and as a group have a short memory because Garner-Webb is a very good team.”
UP NEXT
-Following tonight's loss, the Bulldogs return home on Saturday afternoon for a first place showdown with Gardner-Webb. Both the Bulldog men and women will host Gardner-Webb, with the men's game tipping off at approximately 4:30 p.m. following the women's contest. Both games will be broadcast locally on WMYA MY40 television in the Asheville area.
