University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Head to Coast to Visit Charleston Southern
01.08.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (11-5, 4-0 BSC)
Charleston Southern (5-10, 1-3 BSC)
Location: CSU Field House / Charleston S.C.
Time: 5:30 p.m.
VIDEO (Big South Network) - AUDIO (Bulldog Radio Network) - LIVE STATS
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Riding the emotional high of the largest second half comeback in program history in its one-point victory over Winthrop, UNC Asheville hits the road to take on Charleston Southern Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs look to stay perfect in Big South Conference play this season. Asheville has won four games in a row while Charleston Southern, last year's BSC regular season champions, have lost two games in a row and four of its last five overall.
NOTABLES
Comeback for the Record Books: Asheville's 23-point second half comeback win over Winthrop will have its own place in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history books, as it is tied for the 12th-largest second half comeback ever, with just six larger comebacks coming with less time remaining than Asheville had (15:31 remaining). Bulldog head coach Nick McDevitt has now been a part of the two largest comebacks in Asheville program history – Wednesday night (largest second half comeback) and as a player on Feb. 20, 2000 when the Bulldogs overcame a 29-point deficit in the first half to beat Coastal Carolina inside the Justice Center. At the time, Asheville's 29-point comeback in 2000 was the sixth-largest comeback in NCAA Division I men's basketball history, and is currently the ninth largest comeback in NCAA men's basketball history,
Have a Dae, Rae: Sophomore Raekwon Miller made his first collegiate start for the Bulldogs in Wednesday's win over Winthrop, tallying a career-high 36 minutes and a career-high 16 points. Miller entered the game averaging 4.3 points per game and had appeared in six contests this season, totaling 33 combined minutes of action. Prior to Wednesday, Miller's collegiate scoring high was five points, which he had done twice (vs. Johnson & Wales, 2014 and 2015 seasons).
In the Series: Saturday's meeting will be the 75th meeting all-time between Asheville and Charleston Southern, with the Bulldogs leading 38-36 in the series. Charleston Southern won the team's only meeting last season, an 82-75 Bucs victory in Charleston. The series dates all the way back to the 1968-69 season - a Bulldog 97-91 home victory. The teams met twice a season yearly from 1968-69 through 1973-74 and then twice during the 1978-79 campaign. As Big South Conference members, the teams have met at least twice per season in 26 of the last 30 seasons, beginning in 1985-86.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On balancing rest, travel, preparation – “That's a big thing we have to be aware of – how to take care of ourselves between games. It certainly took a great effort against Winthrop in the second half, and we have to be smart with how we rest ourselves from that and at the same time prepare for a Charleston Southern team that plays up tempo and will shoot from behind the arc a lot.”
On Charleston Southern – “They are a good team, they have a lot of guys that can really shoot the ball. The way they play is conducive to shooting three-pointers. The way they play lets them shot a lot of threes – they average close to 35 three-point attempts per game. Certainly when you talk about Charleston Southern you've got to worry about defending the three-point line and their personnel.”
UP NEXT
-Following Saturday's game, the Bulldogs finish the road swing next Thursday at Radford with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff before returning home next Saturday, January 16, as part of a Bulldog doubleheader with both teams facing off against Gardner-Webb.
