University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Presbyterian
Bulldogs Advance to the Championship to Face Liberty on Sunday
03.12.2016 | Women's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 65-Presbyterian 55
Teams: Asheville (25-6, 16-4 BSC)
Presbyterian College (18-13, 13-7 BSC)
Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, N.C.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Championship Live Stream (ESPN3) - PHOTOS
ASHEVILLE- The UNC Asheville Women's Basketball team delivered a 10-point win over Presbyterian College (65-55) to advance to the championship game on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
The Bulldogs will play no. 2 seed Liberty University, who delivered a 51-41 win over Radford University in the second semifinal contest of the day.
THE TURNING POINT
Asheville entered the fourth quarter with a slim three-point lead over the Bluehose. Chatori Major and Tianna Knuckles knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to spark an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of the period. Ashville would go on to outscore the Presbyterian 19-12 in the final ten minutes to pick up a victory and advance to the championship.
NOTABLES
-The Bulldogs went 21-of-46 (46 percent) from the field to Presbyterian's 33 percent offensive efficiency. The Asheville offense was led by the Big South Conference Player of the Year, Chatori Major, who put up 22 points on 57 percent shooting. She was joined in double figures by Tianna Knuckles (15 points) and Ja'Da Brayboy (12 points).
- Today's Semifinal match-up set a new Big South Conference Championship Tournament record for most combined three-point field goals. Presbyterian delivered 11 three-pointers, while Asheville added eight to combine for 19 made field goals in the first semifinal game of the day. The Bulldogs' eight three-pointers were divided between Major and Knuckles with four each.
-The Bluehose edged the Bulldogs off the glass, 34-32. Presbyterian picked up 16 offensive rebounds for 11 second chance points, while Asheville collected 23 defensive rebounds and nine offensive rebounds for eight second chance points. Asheville's Khaila Webb led the team in rebounds with seven.
-Asheville collected 14 points off of 13 Presbyterian turnovers. The Bulldogs gave up 11 turnovers for six Bluehose points.
-Today's game moves the Bulldog's to a semifinal record to 4-1. All three of Asheville's previous Championship games were played against either Liberty or Radford. The Bulldogs dropped both contests to Liberty in Lynchburg (1998, 2005) and delivered a win over Radford in 2007.
- The last time a Bulldog team advanced to the final round was the 2006-07 campaign who went on to win the Big South Conference Tournament and play LSU in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK
On the win- “Presbyterian gave us all we could handle and then some. We knew they would, and I am certain that expecting their best prepared our kids for the possession game that it was. They are so well coached and shot the ball well tonight which makes them incredibly tough to defend. I was proud of our girls' effort and we are extremely excited to be in the championship game tomorrow. It has been a great tournament atmosphere so far.”
UP NEXT
-Following today's game, Asheville will face the number two seed Liberty University in the Big South Conference Championship game in Kimmel Arena on Sunday, starting at 2:00 p.m.
