University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Radford
Bulldog Women Travel to Radford Saturday
02.24.2017 | Women's Basketball
Asheville-Radford Game Notes (PDF)
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (13-13, 7-8 Big South Conference)
Radford (20-6, 12-3 Big South Conference)
Location:Â Radford, Va. / Donald N. Dedmon Center
When:Â Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 / 2 p.m.
Video:Â Big South Network
Live Stats:Â www.uncabulldogs.com
Twitter:Â @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
BULLDOG BITES
SERIES WITH RADFORD: Radford is 46-20 all-time against Asheville heading into Saturday's game.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET (1/28/17): The UNC Asheville women's basketball team fought valiantly all game and almost pulled off an upset, but Radford was able to hold on in the final seconds of overtime to claim a 64-62 Big South Conference win inside Kimmel Arena. For much of the second half, the Highlanders were able to hold on to a four to six point lead, but in the final 3:30 of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs chipped away at that lead thanks to eight points, six in the paint, from senior KJ Weaver and a crucial block with five seconds left in regulation. The blocked shot by Weaver, which was the third of the afternoon for Weaver, gave the Bulldogs new life and sent the game into overtime in front of a raucous crowd. Weaver then opened overtime by hitting two free throws to give the Bulldogs a two-point, 59-57 lead. However, the Highlanders closed out the game on a 7-2 run to seal the win and remain in a tie for first place atop the conference standings with Campbell. Asheville started the game off red-hot, streaking out to a 7-2 lead in the first three minutes of the first quarter before Radford was able to find some offense. After the first period, the two teams were tied 17-17 and were both shooting over 50 percent from the field. Asheville hit on 58.3 percent (7-for-12) of their looks in the opening quarter while Radford converted 53.8 percent (7-for-13) of their field goal attempts. The second quarter belonged to the Highlanders as they out-scored the Bulldogs 16-7 in part due to a 7-for-11 (.636) shooting effort. Chatori Major led a trio of Bulldogs in double-digit scoring with 17 points. The senior guard hit on 7 of her 17 field goals (41.2 percent), including three three-pointers, giving her 10 in the last two games. She also had a game-high five assists to go along with three steals and a blocked shot.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS: Radford remains locked in a tight battle with Campbell for the top spot in the league. Both teams boast identical 20-6 overall records as well as 12-3 league marks. In fact, both Radford and Campbell are in the top-two of the league in scoring defense and scoring margin. The Highlanders are second in both categories, allowing just 53.4 points per contest and out-scoring opponents by +8.4 per game.
LAST TIME OUT (Winthrop, 2/21/17): Chatori Major joined elite company Tuesday night within the first five minutes of regulation as she scored her 1,000th-career point as a UNC Asheville Bulldog. The senior guard ended the night with a team-high 22 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 71-55 win over Winthrop in Big South Conference action inside Kimmel Arena. Major joins teammate Tianna Knuckles in the prestigious honor and is the 16thBulldog in program history to accomplish the feat. She is also the 106th Big South Conference player to eclipse 1,000 points for a career. Things got off to a slow start for the Bulldogs (13-13, 7-8 Big South) as Winthrop (2-25, 1-14 Big South) edged out to a 4-0 lead in the first 1:30 of the game. However, the Bulldogs did what they have done all season and that is remain resilient and make adjustments. Despite being out-scored 17-14 in the first quarter, Asheville bounced back to lead Wintrhop in each of the final three quarters beginning with a 19-15 advantage in the second period. With just seven seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, Khaila Webb hit a tremendous three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 33-32 at the intermission. Out of the break, Winthrop made several attempts to keep the game close, but the Bulldogs came out fired up and slowly began to pull away. With 2:55 to go in the third quarter, senior KJ Weaver hit a pair of free throws to give Asheville its first double-digit lead of the game. By the end of the quarter, that lead was 14, 56-42 when Major converted a layup. The fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs flirt with a 20-point lead for much of the period, including two 21-point leads when Zip Scott hit a three-pointer with 5:53 to go and again when Brooke Jordan-Brown scored on a layup down low with 5:02 remaining. One of the biggest changes for Asheville was limiting Winthrop's Erica Williams. Williams scored 18 points in the first half alone, but was limited to just eight in the second half, giving her a game-high 26 points. Major led the Bulldogs with 22 points for the game, including hitting four three-pointers. She converted eight of her 14 field goal attempts and finished with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
1,000 CAREER POINTS: Chatori Major became the 106th Big South Conference player and 16th UNC Asheville women's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The senior guard from Camp Lejeune, N.C., needed just five points Tuesday night to hit the mark, and she accomplished that less than five minutes into the game. With her 22 points Tuesday night, Major now boasts 1,017 career points.
BLOCK PARTY: Freshman Brooke Jordan-Brown swatted away two shots Tuesday night against Winthrop, marking the first time in her short career that she has accomplished the feat.
DISHING THEM OUT: Jessica Wall and Khaila Webb both dished out a game-high six assists Tuesday night against Winthrop. For Webb, it was the fourth time this season she has recorded six assists in a game. For Wall, it was three shy of her career-high of nine set against Warren Wilson earlier this season.
MOVING ON UP: Senior KJ Weaver finished Tuesday's win over Winthrop with five rebounds, giving her 687 over her illustrious career. That mark has her fifth in Asheville's NCAA Division I era and seventh all-time. The next milestone will be 720 career rebounds for sixth all-time and fourth in the D-1 era. Tonisha Jackson (1999-2004) currently holds those marks. Weaver's 206 rebounds as a senior are a career-high for rebounds in a season for her.
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 have just two regular-season games remaining, including a final road game at Liberty on Monday, Feb. 27. The Bulldogs and Flames will tangle at 7 p.m.
QUOTABLES
"The first match-up against Radford was a great one and we are looking forward to a tough road test tomorrow. The girls are excited about this opportunity and building momentum by playing solid basketball." – Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
Â
