University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Charleston Southern
Bulldog Women Take Over First Place with Saturday Win
01.09.2016 | Women's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 58 – Charleston Southern 50
Teams: Asheville (12-3, 5-1 BSC)
Charleston Southern (8-7, 3-3 BSC)
Location: CSU Fieldhouse / Charleston, S.C.
Charleston, S.C. – Down five points at the half, UNC Asheville came roaring back in the final two quarters on Saturday afternoon to grab a 58-50 road win over Charleston Southern and remain at the top of the Big South Conference play. Coupled with a Liberty loss at Presbyterian, the Bulldogs now find themselves in sole possession of first place in the standings.
THE TURNING POINT
Asheville opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run over the opening 1:40 to climb back into the game, aided by 10 points over five minutes by Chatori Major, who finished the afternoon with a game-high 19 points after having just four points at the half.
NOTABLES
-After shooting 39 percent in the first two quarters, the Bulldogs finished the game shooting 20-of-57 in the contest, forcing 13 Charleston Southern turnovers thanks to mixing in a full court trap with a 2-3 defense.
-In addition to Major's 19 points, Asheville saw Tianna Knuckles tally 14 points, including the Bulldogs only two made three-point baskets in the contest. Seven other Bulldogs scored in the win.
-Asheville hit 14 of their 18 free throws in the game, including closing out the afternoon hot at the line after Charleston Southern tried to foul and extend the game in the final minutes.
-Asheville outrebounded Charleston Southern 40-30 on the glass, including 31 boards on the defensive glass.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK
On the game – “On the road in this league it is probably going to be ugly to win. Everyone has gotten better, it's going to be competitive, and this isn't something I am surprised with. I want our team to learn how to win this way – how to manage those last few minutes and be able to break away and put some distance between us and our opponents.”
On the second half run – “A lot of times we talk about mental toughness, but I think physical toughness was a component today. We only had five offensive rebounds in the first half. I think we hit the glass harder and played possession defense. We were emphasizing going into the game to 'win the possession' and I think that's something our girls grabbed a hold of.”
On BSC-opening road trip – “I'm happy starting with five of six games on the road is over. Now we can go back to a normal rotation. Going 5-1 over that stretch with four wins on the road – we'll take it. If you would have told me that a month ago, I'd be very pleased. We are happy to finish with five of six games in Kimmel Arena and then hosting the Big South women's tournament.”
UP NEXT
-Following today's win, Asheville returns home to face Longwood on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena before they host Gardner-Webb on Saturday as part of a home doubleheader with the Bulldog men's team.
