University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Liberty
Bulldogs Defeat Liberty for Sole Possession of First Place in the Big South
02.13.2016 | Women's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 56 – Liberty 51
Teams: Asheville (20-4, 13-2 BSC)
Liberty University (15-9, 12-3 BSC)
Location: Kimmel Arena/ Asheville, N.C.
ASHEVILLE- The UNC Asheville Women's Basketball team took down Liberty University to assume sole possession of first place in the Big South Conference.
THE TURNING POINT
Liberty opened up a six-point advantage over the Bulldogs to start the first quarter, but Asheville rallied behind a 10-4 run to tie the game at 14 at the end of the period. Asheville took a 17-14 lead off of a three-point bucket from Paige Love to start the second quarter. The Bulldogs built their lead to as many as 14 points, and held on to deliver a five-point victory over the Flames.
NOTABLES
- The Bulldogs went 20-of-58 (39 percent) from the field and 3-of-15 (20 percent) from three-point range to Liberty's 21-of-59 (36 percent) from the floor. Asheville was led by freshman, Sonora Dengokl with 10 points on 57 percent shooting.
- Asheville's win was fueled by seven Bulldogs with at least six points: Chatori Major (6), K.J. Weaver (6), Tiffany Wilson (6), Paige Love (7), Tianna Knuckles (7), Khaila Webb (8) and Dengokl (10). The Bulldogs produced 23 points off the Bench to Liberty's 10 bench points.
-The Bulldogs collected 11 points off of 11 Liberty turnovers. Asheville gave up eight turnovers that resulted in seven Liberty points.
-Asheville lost a close battle of the boards 36-40. Weaver led the Bulldogs in rebounds with nine, and Dengokl and Love chipped in five boards each in the Asheville victory.
-The Flames outscored the Bulldogs in second chance points (14-11) and points in the paint 32-24.
-Asheville got a boost from the free throw line, knocking down 13-of-16 free throws for 81 percent on the afternoon.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK
On the Win: "We had to fight hard this afternoon against a tough and talented team. Both teams were good on the defensive end so it came down to a possession fight and we were fortunate to be on the right end of that battle today. The gritty plays down the stretch from our players became the separator. No one was rattled during the incredible run that Liberty was making and we just focused on the adjustments we needed to make to keep the lead."
UP NEXT
Following Today's win, the Bulldogs will host Radford University on Tuesday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday's game will be Asheville's Military Appreciation Night, and anyone who has served or is currently serving are invited to attend free of charge.
