Asheville Looks to Stay Atop BSC Standings at Radford

THE MATCHUP

Teams: Asheville (15-4, 8-2 BSC)

Radford University (10-9, 6-4 BSC)

Location: Dedmon Center /Radford, Va.

Time: 2:00 p.m.

VIDEO (BSC Network) - LIVE STATS (RU) - AUDIO (RU)

RADFORD – The UNC Asheville Women's Basketball team goes on the road to Radford, Virginia this weekend to face the Radford University Highlanders for the first time this season on Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m.

NOTABLES

Big South Breakdown: The Bulldogs are currently co-leaders of the Big South Conference with Liberty University with a record of 8-2. Asheville has only dropped conference contests to Liberty and Gardner-Webb University. The Highlanders are in fifth place at 6-4 in BSC play, with notable wins over Presbyterian College and High Point University who were both ranked in the top half of the Big South at the time.

Head-to-Head: In the overall series, Radford leads Asheville 48-19. In the past four seasons, the Bulldogs are 2-5 with the Highlanders, with Asheville's last win coming in the first round of the 2014 conference tournament. The Bulldogs pulled out a 43-42 thriller with a tip in from Shonese Jones with one second left in the game.

Scoring From the Outside In: Bulldog Basketball 2015-16 edition has been all about offense. The Bulldogs not only lead the league in scoring offense (71.9), field goal percentage (43.8%) and three-point field goal percentage (33.6%), they also have three guards shooting over 38 percent from three-point range: Tianna Knuckles (38.5%), Chatori Major (38.2%) and Jessica Wall (40.7%). Bronaza Fitzgerald has highlighted the Bulldogs' play inside the paint, achieving double-figures in two of her last three games. Asheville has also seen the return of K.J. Weaver who was out for six games due to injury. Weaver averages 6.8 points per game through 12 games this season.

QUOTEABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA KIRKPATRICK

On Radford- "Radford is the best rebounding team in the league, and has arguably the best interior game as well. Add a couple of senior play-making guards to that mix and it equals a tremendous challenge for us on the road tomorrow. Our outcome will be determined on the boards and how well we can execute our offense against one of the league's best defenses."

On Bulldogs Stepping Up- "I have been pleased with the point guard play of Jessica Wall in Ja'Da Brayboy's absence. Those have been valuable minutes and just one of the many examples we have had of players stepping up when needed. We have been playing numerous combinations lately and hopefully the mid-season experience gained by some of our younger players will pay off down the stretch. It's critical that our players stay focused on the team purpose and continue to play unselfish basketball as we approach the last third of the season, hopefully with our full complement of players."

UP NEXT

-Following Saturday's game, Asheville will travel to Rock Hill, S.C. on Monday, February 1 to face Winthrop University at 7:00 p.m. for the second time this season. In their first meeting, the Bulldogs defeated the Eagles 63-55 on December 29 inside Kimmel Arena.