Fitzgerald’s Sixth Career Double-Double and Wall’s 17 Points Not Enough as Bulldogs Fall 70-68 at Wofford

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite senior Bronaza Fitzgerald recording her sixth career double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds) and junior Jessica Wall posting 17 points, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team fell 70-68 to Wofford inside Richardson Indoor Stadium on Thursday.

BULLDOG BITES

Game Highlights

The first quarter started well for Fitzgerald as the Danville, Va. native nearly went perfect from the field (3-for-4) as she led the Bulldogs with seven points. Defensively, the senior center grabbed four rebounds within the first three minutes. She ended the first ten minutes with four boards and a steal.

Five Bulldogs recorded at least two points as sophomore transfer Juliet Esadah tallied four points as she went a perfect 2-for-2 from the field. Wall added a three-pointer as she was the only Bulldog to nail a three-point attempt in the first 10 minutes of action.

After the first quarter, the Bulldogs held a seven-point lead (19-12), and the 19 total points marked a first quarter season high for UNC Asheville.

Wall kept firing beyond the arch in the second quarter as the junior from Chapel Hill, N.C. went 2-for-3 in the next quarter. Alexis Toney started to find a rhythm as the junior went 2-for-2 from the field.

Wofford started the pull back into the action as Chloe Wanink put the Terriers on her back. The Terrier guard couldn't miss as she totaled 11 points in a 5-for-5 effort in the second quarter.
The Terriers out-scored the Bulldogs 22-18 in the second quarter. However, UNC Asheville still held the 37-34 lead after the first half. The three-point advantage at halftime for Asheville marked a season-best in largest lead after the first 20 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs didn't skip a beat out of halftime as they went on a 9-2 run to go up by 10 points as Wall, Fitzgerald and Khaila Webb each made a basket during the run. Behind a 14-2 run, the Terriers clawed their way back into the game and eventually took their first lead at 52-51. The Bulldogs made it a four-point game (56-52) as Zip Scott – who made her season debut tonight – recorded her fifth point of the night.

In the fourth quarter, UNC Asheville pushed its lead as high as seven points with 9:10 left in the game, but Wofford raced out to a 15-6 run to pull ahead 68-66. With only 44 seconds left on the clock, Webb came up big for the Bulldogs and knocked a jumper to tie the game up for the fourth time. A few seconds later, Wofford ran the length of the court, and Cairo Booker recorded a jumper to give the Terriers their third lead of the game.

UNC Asheville had a pair of chances to tie the game up late, but the Bulldogs couldn't convert as Wofford earned its fourth win of the season.

Wall led the team as she totaled 17 points including going 5-for-8 behind the three-point arch. Wall's five made three-pointers matched a career best, which she has done seven times in her career. Fitzgerald finished the game leading the squad with 12 boards to go along with 14 points. The double-double was the first for the Bulldogs this year and the senior's sixth of her career.
The last time Fitzgerald recorded a double-double was last season at Presbyterian where she tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Scott posted 11 points – a new career high - as she went 4-for-7 from the field in her first game of the season. Ali Trani, Webb and Wall each totaled three assists, and Webb and Fitzgerald each blocked one shot.

As a team, the Bulldogs out-rebounded their opponents for the first time this season (37-26). Asheville also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, which led to a 12-2 advantage in second chance points.

The Bulldogs fall to 0-6 on the season while the Terriers advance to 4-3.

What's Next?

The Bulldogs return home on Monday, Dec. 4 to host Warren Wilson in their lone Education Day game of the 2017-18 season. Tipoff is set for 11:30 a.m. inside Kimmel Arena.

Fitzgerald’s Sixth Career Double-Double and Wall’s 17 Points Not Enough as Bulldogs Fall 70-68 at Wofford

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Team Stats

Jessica Wall

Bronaza Fitzgerald

Zip Scott

Khaila Webb

Players Mentioned

Juliet Esadah

Bronaza Fitzgerald

Zip Scott

Alexis Toney

Ali Trani

Jessica Wall

Khaila Webb

Players Mentioned

Juliet Esadah

Bronaza Fitzgerald

Zip Scott

Alexis Toney

Ali Trani

Jessica Wall

Khaila Webb

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics