University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Liberty
Bulldogs Throttle Liberty; Advance to Play High Point Saturday
03.04.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Asheville 80 – Liberty 49
Teams: Asheville (20-11)
Liberty (13-19)
Round: Big South Quarterfinals
Location: Gore Arena / Buies Creek, N.C.
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – UNC Asheville sprinted out of the gates with a 14-2 start over the opening five minutes of the Big South Conference Quarterfinals Friday afternoon, building their lead to 28 points at the half before an 80-49 victory over Liberty in a game that was never in doubt after the opening minutes.
Asheville moves on to face top-seeded High Point Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the semifinals. The Panthers ended a four-game losing streak in tournament play with an 89-78 victory over Longwood earlier Friday.
THE TURNING POINT
A 22-2 run through the midway point of the first half pushed Asheville out to the comfortable margin, as four Bulldogs finished in double figures scoring and all 11 players in uniform logged six or more minutes of action.
NOTABLES
-Ahmad Thomas tied his career high with a 27-point effort on 12-of-15 shooting from the floor as he added seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks to his final stat line. Kevin Vannatta added 12 points (5-7 shooting) and five assists as the duo combined to score Asheville's first 16 points in the game (eight points each).
-Dylan Smith (11 points) and Sam Hughes (10 points) rounded out Asheville's top scorers, with Dwayne Sutton adding nine points and the Bulldog bench collecting 11 points between four players.
-Asheville shot 54.4 percent (31-for-57) for the game, including 56 percent in the opening half, as it hit 10 of 19 three-point attempts (53 percent), including six three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The Bulldogs held Liberty to just 27 percent in the first half, including just one three-pointer, on the way to the Flames hitting just 31.0 percent (18-of-58) for the game.
-The Bulldogs forced 18 Liberty turnovers, including 13 in the first half, on the way to tallying 21 points off turnovers in the win. Asheville grabbed 41 rebounds, with 33 coming on the defensive glass, as Liberty had just 26 total rebounds.
-Asheville's 28-point halftime advantage was its third-highest this season and the largest against a Division I opponent this season. Only a 41-point advantage against Johnson & Wales and a 29-point lead over Mars Hill were larger halftime margins.
UP NEXT
-Following today's win, the Bulldogs prepare for High Point on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the Big South Semifinals at Campbell.
