University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Faces Off Against Saint Mary's Friday Night in California
12.21.2017 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (7-5)
Saint Mary's (10-2)
Location: Moraga, Calif./McKeon Pavilion
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 22/10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST)
Video: TheW.tv
TV: Comcast Hometown Network
Talent - Dave Lewis (PBP), Bill Herenda (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
MORAGA, Calif. - UNC Asheville will next take on perennial mid-major power Saint Mary's at 10 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 22, in Moraga, Calif.
BULLDOG BITES
NEARING MORE HISTORY: Senior guard Ahmad Thomas is already just the sixth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. Thomas is nearing becoming just the second person in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas enters the Saint Mary's game with 1,243 points, 588 rebounds, 211 steals and 191 assists.
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Saint Mary's will be meeting for the first time.
IN THE GOLDEN STATE: This is UNC Asheville's second visit to California with the Bulldogs last visiting in the 1987-88 season. The Bulldogs picked up a 58-53 win over Cal the last time they were here.
HUGE WIN OVER UNCG IN MANY WAYS: The Bulldog win over UNCG came just days after the Spartans had knocked off NC State in Raleigh, N.C. It also gave the Bulldogs a top-100 RPI win, as UNCG was 83rd in the RPI released by the NCAA on Dec. 19. UNCG was 6-0 at home in the 2017-18 season before the Bulldog come-from-behind win.
DELVING INTO TEAGUE'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: MaCio Teague's third career double-double was made possible by an 11-of-13 performance at the charity stripe. Teague was 6-of-12 from the field overall en route to his 25 points. He picked up two of his 11 boards on the offensive glass.
ABOUT SAINT MARY'S: Saint Mary's welcomes the Bulldogs owning a 10-2 record on the 2017-18 season. The Gaels are led by Jock Landale's 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: You can watch all of the action live HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
WHAT A PAIR: UNC Asheville senior duo Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are the 24th pair in Big South Conference history of four-year classmates to each score over 1,000 points during the same four-year span. Thomas with 1,243 career points and Vannatta with 1,061 career points right now have a combined total of 2,304, which moves them into the top-20 in the category in league history. Thomas and Vannatta are the fifth set of Bulldog teammates with the achievement in Asheville's Big South era.
IT'S A STEAL: The Bulldogs finished the narrow loss to Western Carolina with 11 steals to mark the third time this season that UNC Asheville has secured 10 or more steals as a team in a single game. Three different Bulldogs (Ahmad Thomas, Jonathan Baehre and Raekwon Miller) all had three steals in the game. Jalen Seegars collected two steals for the Bulldogs.
STRONG FROM THE FIELD: In finishing with his team-best 17 points, Ahmad Thomas was 8-of-10 from the field. It is the second time this season a Bulldog has shot 80 percent or better with over five attempts in the game. Raekwon Miller was 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) in the win over Lees-McRae.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over Milligan was its 14th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 5-0 on the 2017-18 season and 73-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
DOUBLE IT UP: With the three double-doubles in the win over Milligan it marked the first time since the thrilling double overtime win over Winthrop last year that two or more Bulldogs had double-doubles in the same game. The win over Milligan also marks the first time since that win over the Eagles that five or more Bulldogs scored in double figures in the same game with six Bulldogs securing double-digit scoring outputs against the Buffaloes.
CAREER DAY FOR RAEKWON MILLER: Miller's first career double-double against Milligan was made possible by a day where he knocked down a career-high tying four three-pointers and was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He was 5-of-9 from the field overall. His 19 points bested his previous career high of 18 set in UNC Asheville's win over Siena last season. His 10 boards bested his previous career high of seven in UNC Asheville's win over Brevard last year. He has now knocked down four three-pointers in a single game five times in his career.
BLOCK PARTY: UNC Asheville's 10 blocks in the win over Milligan marked the first time since an 80-55 Big South Conference win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at Kimmel Arena that the Bulldogs had blocked 10 or more as a team in a single game.
DON'S DAY: In securing his first double-digit rebound day as a Bulldog, Donovan Gilmore picked up six of his 16 rebounds in the game on the offensive glass. He was 6-of-10 from the field overall in finishing with the 13 points.
STRONG ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS: In procuring his eight rebounds in the game at Furman, Alec Wnuk collected five of his eight rebounds on the offensive glass.
20 AND OVER TIMES TWO: With Ahmad Thomas (24) and MaCio Teague (22) both finishing with over 20 points in the win over USC Upstate it marked the first time that two Bulldogs have scored over 20 in a single game since the duo last accomplished the same feat in back-to-back wins over Winthrop (Feb. 9, 2017) and Longwood (Feb. 11, 2017) last season.
NO. 15: Ahmad Thomas' double-double against Clemson allowed him to secure his 15th career double-double for the Bulldogs. He already has three this season.
TOP-20: Ahmad Thomas' 24 points in the win over USC Upstate allowed him to move into the top-20 all-time at UNC Asheville in total scoring. Thomas with 1,225 career points now is right behind Tom Haus (1981-85, 1,233 career points), who is in 19th.
SPARTANBURG SUPREMACY: UNC Asheville took out both of the NCAA Division I programs from Spartanburg over the course of the last week with the Bulldogs first besting Wofford, 85-65, on Sunday, Nov. 26, before collecting a 82-70 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
RUNNING: The Bulldogs in the win over USC Upstate for the second straight game had a huge run that changed the complexion of the contest. A 26-2 run by UNC Asheville men's basketball over a roughly six-minute stretch in the second half allowed the Bulldogs to pick up an impressive 85-65 non-conference home win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville's 20-2 run in the first half of the win over USC Upstate allowed the Bulldogs to never look back.
1,000-POINT SCORER: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta scored eight points in the win over Wofford to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Vannatta now has 1,061 career points as a Bulldog
ASSISTING ON THE BIG WIN: MaCio Teague's eight assists in the win over Wofford was a career-best. It eclipsed his previous best mark of seven in last year's thrilling 79-77 overtime win at Coastal Carolina.
FIRST HALF HEROICS: MaCio Teague's 20 points in the first half against Austin Peay marked the second time in his career that he has scored 20 or more in the first half. Teague also had 24 points in the first half in UNC Asheville's 91-69 Big South Conference road win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017.
CAREER DAY FOR ALEC WNUK: In collecting his career-best 19 points in the narrow loss to Vanderbilt, Alec Wnuk also made a career-best seven field goals and tied his career-high for three-pointers made with two. He was 7-of-11 overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
STRONG ON THE GLASS: The Bulldogs out-rebounded one of the top teams in the SEC in Vanderbilt, 36-32. The Bulldogs held a 12-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Ahmad Thomas and MaCio Teague each had three offensive boards in the game.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN BIG SOUTH: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was picked to win the Big South Conference at the annual league Media Day on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Renaissance Suites Hotel. UNC Asheville's choice as preseason No. 1 marks the first time since the 2011-12 preseason poll that the Bulldogs have been tabbed to finish first. The Bulldogs have now been picked five times (1989-90, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2017-18) to win the league in the official preseason poll.
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (7-5)
Saint Mary's (10-2)
Location: Moraga, Calif./McKeon Pavilion
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 22/10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST)
Video: TheW.tv
TV: Comcast Hometown Network
Talent - Dave Lewis (PBP), Bill Herenda (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
MORAGA, Calif. - UNC Asheville will next take on perennial mid-major power Saint Mary's at 10 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 22, in Moraga, Calif.
BULLDOG BITES
NEARING MORE HISTORY: Senior guard Ahmad Thomas is already just the sixth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. Thomas is nearing becoming just the second person in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas enters the Saint Mary's game with 1,243 points, 588 rebounds, 211 steals and 191 assists.
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Saint Mary's will be meeting for the first time.
IN THE GOLDEN STATE: This is UNC Asheville's second visit to California with the Bulldogs last visiting in the 1987-88 season. The Bulldogs picked up a 58-53 win over Cal the last time they were here.
HUGE WIN OVER UNCG IN MANY WAYS: The Bulldog win over UNCG came just days after the Spartans had knocked off NC State in Raleigh, N.C. It also gave the Bulldogs a top-100 RPI win, as UNCG was 83rd in the RPI released by the NCAA on Dec. 19. UNCG was 6-0 at home in the 2017-18 season before the Bulldog come-from-behind win.
DELVING INTO TEAGUE'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: MaCio Teague's third career double-double was made possible by an 11-of-13 performance at the charity stripe. Teague was 6-of-12 from the field overall en route to his 25 points. He picked up two of his 11 boards on the offensive glass.
ABOUT SAINT MARY'S: Saint Mary's welcomes the Bulldogs owning a 10-2 record on the 2017-18 season. The Gaels are led by Jock Landale's 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: You can watch all of the action live HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
WHAT A PAIR: UNC Asheville senior duo Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are the 24th pair in Big South Conference history of four-year classmates to each score over 1,000 points during the same four-year span. Thomas with 1,243 career points and Vannatta with 1,061 career points right now have a combined total of 2,304, which moves them into the top-20 in the category in league history. Thomas and Vannatta are the fifth set of Bulldog teammates with the achievement in Asheville's Big South era.
IT'S A STEAL: The Bulldogs finished the narrow loss to Western Carolina with 11 steals to mark the third time this season that UNC Asheville has secured 10 or more steals as a team in a single game. Three different Bulldogs (Ahmad Thomas, Jonathan Baehre and Raekwon Miller) all had three steals in the game. Jalen Seegars collected two steals for the Bulldogs.
STRONG FROM THE FIELD: In finishing with his team-best 17 points, Ahmad Thomas was 8-of-10 from the field. It is the second time this season a Bulldog has shot 80 percent or better with over five attempts in the game. Raekwon Miller was 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) in the win over Lees-McRae.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over Milligan was its 14th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 5-0 on the 2017-18 season and 73-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
DOUBLE IT UP: With the three double-doubles in the win over Milligan it marked the first time since the thrilling double overtime win over Winthrop last year that two or more Bulldogs had double-doubles in the same game. The win over Milligan also marks the first time since that win over the Eagles that five or more Bulldogs scored in double figures in the same game with six Bulldogs securing double-digit scoring outputs against the Buffaloes.
CAREER DAY FOR RAEKWON MILLER: Miller's first career double-double against Milligan was made possible by a day where he knocked down a career-high tying four three-pointers and was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He was 5-of-9 from the field overall. His 19 points bested his previous career high of 18 set in UNC Asheville's win over Siena last season. His 10 boards bested his previous career high of seven in UNC Asheville's win over Brevard last year. He has now knocked down four three-pointers in a single game five times in his career.
BLOCK PARTY: UNC Asheville's 10 blocks in the win over Milligan marked the first time since an 80-55 Big South Conference win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at Kimmel Arena that the Bulldogs had blocked 10 or more as a team in a single game.
DON'S DAY: In securing his first double-digit rebound day as a Bulldog, Donovan Gilmore picked up six of his 16 rebounds in the game on the offensive glass. He was 6-of-10 from the field overall in finishing with the 13 points.
STRONG ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS: In procuring his eight rebounds in the game at Furman, Alec Wnuk collected five of his eight rebounds on the offensive glass.
20 AND OVER TIMES TWO: With Ahmad Thomas (24) and MaCio Teague (22) both finishing with over 20 points in the win over USC Upstate it marked the first time that two Bulldogs have scored over 20 in a single game since the duo last accomplished the same feat in back-to-back wins over Winthrop (Feb. 9, 2017) and Longwood (Feb. 11, 2017) last season.
NO. 15: Ahmad Thomas' double-double against Clemson allowed him to secure his 15th career double-double for the Bulldogs. He already has three this season.
TOP-20: Ahmad Thomas' 24 points in the win over USC Upstate allowed him to move into the top-20 all-time at UNC Asheville in total scoring. Thomas with 1,225 career points now is right behind Tom Haus (1981-85, 1,233 career points), who is in 19th.
SPARTANBURG SUPREMACY: UNC Asheville took out both of the NCAA Division I programs from Spartanburg over the course of the last week with the Bulldogs first besting Wofford, 85-65, on Sunday, Nov. 26, before collecting a 82-70 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
RUNNING: The Bulldogs in the win over USC Upstate for the second straight game had a huge run that changed the complexion of the contest. A 26-2 run by UNC Asheville men's basketball over a roughly six-minute stretch in the second half allowed the Bulldogs to pick up an impressive 85-65 non-conference home win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville's 20-2 run in the first half of the win over USC Upstate allowed the Bulldogs to never look back.
1,000-POINT SCORER: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta scored eight points in the win over Wofford to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Vannatta now has 1,061 career points as a Bulldog
ASSISTING ON THE BIG WIN: MaCio Teague's eight assists in the win over Wofford was a career-best. It eclipsed his previous best mark of seven in last year's thrilling 79-77 overtime win at Coastal Carolina.
FIRST HALF HEROICS: MaCio Teague's 20 points in the first half against Austin Peay marked the second time in his career that he has scored 20 or more in the first half. Teague also had 24 points in the first half in UNC Asheville's 91-69 Big South Conference road win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017.
CAREER DAY FOR ALEC WNUK: In collecting his career-best 19 points in the narrow loss to Vanderbilt, Alec Wnuk also made a career-best seven field goals and tied his career-high for three-pointers made with two. He was 7-of-11 overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
STRONG ON THE GLASS: The Bulldogs out-rebounded one of the top teams in the SEC in Vanderbilt, 36-32. The Bulldogs held a 12-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Ahmad Thomas and MaCio Teague each had three offensive boards in the game.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN BIG SOUTH: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was picked to win the Big South Conference at the annual league Media Day on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Renaissance Suites Hotel. UNC Asheville's choice as preseason No. 1 marks the first time since the 2011-12 preseason poll that the Bulldogs have been tabbed to finish first. The Bulldogs have now been picked five times (1989-90, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2017-18) to win the league in the official preseason poll.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #5 Longwood (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #3 Gardner-Webb (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #7 Charleston Southern (Big South Tournament)
Thursday, March 14
Highlights || Men's Basketball || UNC Asheville at Radford
Monday, March 04