University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Longwood
Women’s Basketball Hosts Longwood in Play 4 Kay Pink Game Saturday
02.17.2017 | Women's Basketball
Asheville-Longwood Game Notes (PDF)
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (11-13, 5-8 Big South Conference)
Longwood (4-20, 1-12 Big South Conference)
Location: Asheville, N.C. / Kimmel Arena
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 / 2 p.m.
Video: Big South Network
Live Stats: www.uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
QUOTABLES
On returning home to play Longwood
"We are excited to be back on our home court and have an opportunity to show ourselves the brand of basketball we are capable of playing. We realize that in the past four games we have played hard but without the kind of focus and resolve that we needed to in order to get results." – Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
On the Bulldogs' annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game
"Tomorrow is a special day for us as well because we are playing for a greater purpose and cause outside of just ourselves. We are playing for Kay Yow, for cancer survivors and for others who have lost battles to cancer. Most people are impacted in some way during their lifetime by cancer or know someone who has been affected by this devastating disease. We want to help fight for all of those people and make a difference in the lives of others so that in the future, those who are diagnosed with cancer have access to greater medical care and cures. I am personally asking everyone who is coming to the game tomorrow to wear pink as an indication of their efforts to join us in this fight."
BULLDOG BITES
#PLAY4KAY: Saturday's game against Longwood will serve as the Bulldogs' annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game. The game is sponsored by Mission Health and there will be a wine and cheese reception at halftime presented by Sunshine Chevrolet. Tickets to the wine and cheese social are $10 and also cover the cost of attendance to the game.
BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR RECOGNITION: Breast cancer survivors will receive free admission to the game and will be recognized at halftime.
#FT4KAY CONTEST: Also at halftime, fans are encouraged to go down onto the floor to participate in the #FT4Kay (Free Throws For Kay) Contest. The contest is running nation-wide and the fan from a participating school who hits the most consecutive free throws will go to the women's Final Four to compete against the participating coach who hit the most consecutive free throws.
PINK OUT: As is tradition with Play 4 Kay games, all fans are encouraged to wear PINK in support of breast cancer awareness and those who have been touched by the disease.
NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY: Saturday will also be the Bulldogs' Girls & Women in Sports Day. The actual day was held on Wednesday, Feb. 1, but UNC Asheville has elected to celebrate the day this coming Saturday.
SERIES WITH LONGWOOD: After claiming the first meeting between the two programs earlier this year, UNC Asheville is 8-4 all-time against Longwood and has claimed the last seven meetings. Asheville is 7-1 over the Lancers since Longwood joined the Big South Conference.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET (1/7/17): The UNC Asheville women's basketball team converted a season-high 11 three-pointers and the Bulldogs corralled in 55 rebounds, including 22 off the offensive glass, as they went on the road to notch an 80-53 win over Longwood in Big South Conference action inside Willett Hall. Khaila Webb led a trio of Bulldogs in double-digit scoring, netting a game-high 20 points off 7-for-14 shooting from the field. The junior guard was perfect (5-5) from the free throw line as Asheville converted 81.3 percent (13-16) of its shots from the charity stripe while holding Longwood to 36.4 percent (20-55) from the field. Tianna Knuckles was close behind Webb as she finished the game with 17 points, shooting 60 percent (6-10) from the field, including a game-high five three-pointers. Chatori Major chipped in 12 points, four treys and three steals and KJ Weaver brought down 10 rebounds to go along with seven points and a pair of blocks.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS: Longwood enters Saturday's game having broken through for the first Big South Conference game of the season last week. The Lancers defeated Winthrop 83-78 at home on Saturday, Feb. 11. The Lancers then dropped their next game 74-34 at home to Radford. Longwood is led in scoring by Eboni Gilliam's 10.2 points per game. She has started 22 of the Lancers 24 games and is shooting 43.6 percent from the field. She is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 5.7 boards per contest. Only Micaela Ellis has started more games, having been in the starting five for Longwood in all 24 games.
LAST TIME OUT (Charleston Southern, 2/14/17): The UNC Asheville women's basketball team closed out a two-game road swing Tuesday night with a trip to Charleston, S.C. The Bulldogs continued to show plenty of fight, but ultimately fell 73-66 to Charleston Southern in a Big South Conference game inside the Buc Dome. Charleston Southern (14-10, 8-5 Big South Conference) took a 37-25 lead after the first half, but UNC Asheville (11-13, 5-8) out-scored the Buccaneers 41-36 in the second half, led by 10 points and a pair of three-pointers by Chatori Major. Major ended the game with 18 points and four three-pointers to go along with four rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes of work. For the second game in a row, Jessica Wall scored a season-high, netting 16 points this time at Charleston Southern. The sophomore guard went 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) from the field and hit three treys. She was also perfect (5-of-5) at the free throw line and added four rebounds. Bronaza Fitzgerald came off the bench to score 11 points in the game and shot 4-for-5 from the field. She tied Sonora Dengokl with a team-high seven rebounds. Charleston Southern was led by Rachel Burns' 18 points, Alyssa Mann's 16 points and Ke'Asia Jackson's 16. Elyse Kiploks just missed out on a double-double with nine points and 10 boards. Charleston Southern capitalized on 11 Asheville turnovers and turned them into 15 points. The Buccaneers also out-scored the Bulldogs 36-26 in the paint. UNC Asheville ended the game shooting 41.8 percent (23-of-55) from the field, but Charleston Southern shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) for the contest.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000: Senior Chatori Major is quickly closing in on 1,000 career points. She now has 969 career points. Last season, she scored 452 points en route to earning Big South Conference Player of the Year honors and currently leads the team with 321 points this season.
MOVING ON UP: Senior KJ Weaver finished Tuesday's game against Charleston Southern with six rebounds, giving her 669 over her illustrious career. That mark has her sixth in Asheville's NCAA Division I era and eighth all-time. The next milestone will be 670 career rebounds for seventh all-time and fifth in the D-1 era. Jessica Guarneri (1999-2002) currently holds those marks. Weaver's 188 rebounds as a senior are a career-high for rebounds in a season for the senior center.
SEASON-HIGH FOR WALL: Sophomore guard Jessica Wall had a season-high 16 points Tuesday night at Charleston Southern. The Chapel Hill, N.C., native played a team-high 37 minutes for the second game in a row and converted three three-pointers after knocking down a season-high four the game before at Campbell.
BLOCK PARTY: Senior KJ Weaver swatted away three shots Tuesday, marking the 14th time this season she has recorded multiple blocks. It is also the fourth game in a row she has accomplished the feat and fifth game in the last six. Weaver now boasts 150 career blocks.
WEAVER FEATURED IN BIG SOUTH MUSCO SPOTLIGHT: UNC Asheville women's basketball senior forward KJ Weaver has been featured in the most recent Big South Conference MUSCO Spotlight, a video feature produced by the conference office that focuses on women's student-athletes and their personal stories during the 2016-17 year. In the video released by the Big South Conference office, Weaver talks about growing up with parents who are deaf and how her stepfather's passion for basketball led her to the sport she now loves. She also talks about how her parents helped teach her patience and understanding both on and off the court.
SEEING DOUBLE: When centers KJ Weaver and Bronaza Fitzgerald each recorded a double-double in the Bulldogs' 68-53 win over Winthrop on Tuesday, Jan. 10, it was the first time the feat had been accomplished by two UNC Asheville women's basketball players since the 2010-11 season. That year, Lindsay Montgomery scored 20 points and brought down 10 boards while Kelli Riles chipped in 11 points and added 10 rebounds in a loss to Charleston Southern on Feb. 9, 2011. In fact, the duo of Montgomery and Riles accomplished the feat four times that season.
IT'S AN HONOR: Prior to the win over Wofford (Dec. 15), Tianna Knuckles was honored for joining the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville. One of only 105 in Big South Women's Basketball history to surpass 1,000 points, Knuckles passed the 1,000-point mark in the Bulldog win over Western Carolina on Friday, Nov. 18, at Kimmel Arena. The senior guard out of Wendell, N.C. now has 1,129 career points.
GET ON BOARD: UNC Asheville senior center KJ Weaver became the 108th player in Big South Conference women's basketball history to eclipse the 500 rebound plateau in the Bulldogs' win over Western Carolina on Nov. 18. She has since joined an even more elite group, becoming the 74th player in Big South history to eclipse the 600 rebound mark. She presently has 645 rebounds in her career.
BIG SOUTH UNVEILS NEW BRAND IDENTITY (Per the Big South Conference): "The Big South Conference introduced its new brand identity on Saturday, Jan. 14, that epitomizes the league's strong commitment to its student-athletes and re-establishes the Conference's vitality, personality and longstanding success in NCAA Division I collegiate athletics under a new mantra – 'Where Winners Are Made.'" Full Release: Visit BigSouthSports.com.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will host Winthrop on Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the second to last home game of the season. Asheville and Winthrop will tip off inside Kimmel Arena at 7 p.m.
