Bulldogs Bring Home Big South Championship; Advance to the Dance

THE RUNDOWN

Score: (2OT) Asheville 64 - Liberty 62

Teams: Asheville (26-6, 16-4 BSC)

Liberty University (18-14, 13-7 BSC)

Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, N.C.

Time: 2:00 p.m.

ASHEVILLE- The UNC Asheville Women's Basketball team punched their ticket to the big dance, topping off a record-setting season with a double overtime (64-62) victory over Liberty University and a Big South Conference Championship crown on Sunday afternoon.

THE TURNING POINT

The Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter trailing the Flames by one point. Asheville and Liberty were even down the final stretch, trading the lead seven times in the fourth quarter alone. In the final minute of regulation play, Asheville's Chatori Major hit two free throws to take a two-point lead over the Flames. Liberty's Rininger hit a short jumper to tie the game with 20 seconds to go. The Bulldogs were unable to score on their final possession which sent the game into overtime.

In the first overtime period, the Bulldogs and the Flames each added seven points to their total with Liberty's Catherine Kearney hitting a jumper to tie the game at 60 and send the championship into its second overtime.

In the second overtime, Asheville's Paige Love put up the first points for Asheville to give the Bulldogs a 62-60 edge. Nine scoreless possessions would follow before Liberty responded with a jumper from Kearney to tie the game at 62 with 21 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs put the ball in the hands of Conference player of the year, and tournament MVP, Chatori Major who was immediately triple-teamed on the baseline. Major was able to find an opening to dish to Bree Fitzgerald for the lay-in to give Asheville the 64-62 advantage with nine seconds remaining. The Flames were unable to come up with a bucket on their last possession to give Asheville their first Conference Championship in nine years.

NOTABLES

-Asheville had two Bulldogs on the All-Tournament team, Chatori Major and Tianna Knuckles. Major received the tournament's highest honor of MVP, posting 21 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, three assists and one steal in the Championship game. Major will add MVP to her list of Big South Conference accolades this season, including two-time Big South Player of the Week, First Team All-Conference selection and the 2015-16 Big South Conference Player of the Year.

-The Bulldogs shot an uncharacteristically low 27 percent from the field, knocking down 21-of-79 shots in their two-point win. Asheville's offense was led by Chatori Major with 21 points on 7-for-26 shooting, and 3-for-12 from three-point range. Jessica Wall added three threes for nine points while three Bulldogs (Knuckles, Paige Love and Bree Fitzgerald) contributed eight points in the victory.

-The Flames outrebounded the Bulldogs by one, pulling down 53 to Asheville's 52 rebounds. K.J. Weaver, Tiffany Wilson and Bree Fitzgerald each collected seven rebounds to lead Asheville. Liberty's Kearney pulled down 12 boards to lead the Flames.

-The last time the Bulldogs captured a Big South Conference Championship was in the 2006-07 season when Asheville delivered a 67-57 win over Radford University at home in the Justice Center on March 10. Asheville went on to play LSU in the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling 77-39 on the road to the Tigers.

-The Bulldog's Championship win gives them an automatic bid to the women's 2016 NCAA tournament.

QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATICK

On the Championship- “Words cannot express how grateful I am to our university community, our city and to the Big South Conference for putting on a top notch championship in Asheville. This moment for the staff and team is a bit surreal and I am sure it will take some time to sink in. Our kids played with tremendous heart and effort today, as they have all year. They absolutely earned this opportunity via unparalleled work ethic, perseverance and heart. My staff has been rock solid this entire season and I cannot thank them enough for having the team prepared in this tournament with exceptional scouting.”

On Liberty- “Liberty is a powerhouse in this league and they deserve a lot of credit to battle us and an outstanding home crowd to the very end. I couldn't be happier to share this moment with the city of Asheville and our university.”

On the Next Step- “We are now getting ready for the next step and are anticipating the selection show at 7pm tomorrow night on ESPN.”

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will be back in action in the first round of the NCAA tournament to be held this week. Asheville will be part of the NCAA selection show on Monday night to find out what seed they are for the tournament, and who they will play.

Asheville will host a viewing party for the selection show on the campus of UNC Asheville in the Grotto of High Smith Student Union beginning at 7:00 p.m.