University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Charleston Southern
Bulldogs Stay Perfect in Big South With Victory Over CSU
01.09.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 83 – Charleston Southern 73
Teams: Asheville (12-5, 5-0 BSC)
Charleston Southern (5-11, 1-4 BSC)
Location: CSU Field House / Charleston S.C.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Visiting UNC Asheville hit 17 of its 19 free throw attempts and saw five players finish in double-figures as the Bulldogs grabbed an 83-73 road victory over Charleston Southern and remained undefeated in Big South Conference play.
Asheville's win kept them knotted at the top of the Big South standings with High Point, who also moved to 5-0 in league play with its home victory over Presbyterian.
THE TURNING POINT
Up by five points with 11:50 to go in the game, Asheville rolled off five three-point baskets – three by Raekwon Miller and two by Dylan Smith – as they went on a 15-7 run to push their lead out to 13 points before the under eight media timeout.
NOTABLES
-After just 39 percent shooting in the first half, Asheville responded by hitting 63 percent of its second half attempts to finish the night at an even 50 percent from the floor (29-of-58). Charleston Southern shot well in the opening 20 minutes (57 percent) before the Bulldogs held them to 32 percent in the second half (49 percent for the game, 30-of-61).
-The Bulldogs had five players finish with double-figure scoring nights, led by Smith's game-high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting (3-7 three-point range). Dwayne Sutton tallied the game's only double-double, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Miller notched 12 points (4-8 three-point range) and both Kevin Vannatta and Will Weeks each finished with 10 points.
-Asheville outrebounded Charleston Southern 31-30 on the glass, including 23 boards on the defensive glass.
-The Bulldogs forced 15 Charleston Southern turnovers that led to 19 points, while Asheville swiped eight steals. The visitors also blocked five shots, with Sutton swatting three shots and Sam Hughes finishing with two blocks.
-Charleston Southern had four players score in double-figures in the loss, led by Armel Potter's 17 points on 8-of-19 shooting night. Aaron Wheeler finished with 15 points (6-7 shooting).
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On the start of the game – “I thought we started defending (after the opening minutes). They scored on the first eight possessions. We were just looking to see if they were going to make shots tonight, I guess, and you can't do that against Charleston Southern. We built ourselves that early deficit and at some point we have to stop doing that because those things come back to bite you. If you are down 12 points and playing the right way, that's one thing. Not defending and not executing offensively is another thing.”
On the second half – “One of the reasons we were able to keep the game in the 8-12-point lead area was we were making free throws. Another thing is we just didn't turn the ball over. We had five turnovers by the first media timeout, and we had six the final 36 minutes of the game. When you don't turn it over and give the other team opportunities the game goes in a far different direction.”
UP NEXT
-Following tonight's win, 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.
