Bulldogs Look to Keep Up Winning Ways with UNCG in Town Monday at Kimmel Arena

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THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (8-3, 0-0 Big South Conference)
UNCG (8-3, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, NC.
Time: Monday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.
Live Video on Big South Network
Live Stats
Radio: News Radio 570 WWNC
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
Tickets

Special Promotions: The UNC Asheville-UNCG game on Monday, Dec. 19, will be Henderson County night. Fans can receive $5 off a ticket by showing an ID with a Henderson County address. The East Henderson cheerleaders will also be in attendance to cheer on the Bulldogs.

BULLDOG BITES

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: UNC Asheville and UNCG have met 11 times before, but this year's matchup will mark the first regular-season meeting between the two since 2001. UNCG owns an 8-3 all-time series lead over the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won three of the last five meetings between the two.

SOLID START: Winners of five straight and eight of its last nine, UNC Asheville basketball is in the midst of its best start since the 2007-08 campaign at 8-3 overall.

HOME SWEET HOME: The surging Bulldogs welcome UNCG currently 4-0 on the year at home with wins over Siena, Brevard, Warren Wilson and Western Carolina. The Asheville men protected home court very efficiently last season as well, going 11-3 at home. UNC Asheville is 59-15 at Kimmel Arena all-time.

TOPS IN THE NATION: A record-breaking performance in UNC Asheville's dominant win over Warren Wilson has vaulted junior guard Ahmad Thomas into the top spot in the entire country in steals. The Danville, Va. native collected a program-record 10 steals in Asheville's win over Warren Wilson on Saturday, Dec. 10. He also had 13 points to procure a rare double-double in steals and points. On the year in 33.0 minutes played per game, Thomas has picked up 38 steals to average a nation's best 3.45 steals per outing.

LAST TIME OUT: The 50th edition of the Mountain Rivalry ended exactly the same way that the first edition of the rivalry did – with a UNC Asheville win. In a series that started with a 31-28 Asheville win on Feb. 3, 1930, the 50th meeting between the two rivals ended with the Bulldogs picking up a thrilling 59-57 win at Kimmel Arena on Saturday, Dec. 17. In a game in which the score was tied 15 times and the lead changed hands 11 times, Ahmad Thomas scored a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, two steals and one assist. Four Bulldogs ended their day in double figures in total with Will Weeks scoring 13 points and MaCio Teague scoring 10 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Alec Wnuk just missed on a double-double in the contest with 11 points and nine rebounds. He also had three assists and one steal.

UNCG THIS SEASON: The Spartans are 8-3 this season, but the matchup with the Bulldogs marks UNCG's first game outside of the Triad and just their second true road game of the season.

TOP 35 NATIONALLY: UNC Asheville on Thursday, Dec. 15, was ranked a season-best 35th nationally in the RPI rankings. The Bulldogs were ranked 46th in the RPI rankings released on Sunday, Dec. 18.

ROAD WARRIORS: UNC Asheville leads the Big South Conference with four non-conference NCAA Division I road wins.

IT'S A STEAL: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team boasts one of the top defenses in the entire country with the Bulldogs second in the country in total steals (126). The Bulldogs are third in the country in steals per game (11.45).

UP NEXT: UNC Asheville next travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

QUOTABLES

"It's a quick turnaround (from the Western Carolina win) with a good UNCG team coming into town. They're 8-3, we're 8-3. I think both teams have done a good job in the early part of the season. It should be a fun atmosphere and a fun game. We haven't played them in a while, so we're looking forward to renewing this series." - Nick McDevitt

Bulldogs Look to Keep Up Winning Ways with UNCG in Town Monday at Kimmel Arena

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Players Mentioned

MaCio Teague

Ahmad Thomas

Will Weeks

Alec Wnuk

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics