University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 4
High Point, NC
7:00 p.m.
UNC Asheville
18-7 (10-2BSC)
74
at
71
High Point
13-11 (7-5BSC)
1
2
F
UNC Asheville
32
42
74
High Point
34
37
71
Photo by: UNC Asheville
Bulldogs Pick Up Thrilling Road Win at High Point
02.04.2017 | Men's Basketball
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team completed a regular-season Big South Conference sweep of High Point with a thrilling 74-71 road win over the Panthers before a sellout crowd at the Millis Center.
UNC Asheville (18-7, 10-2 Big South Conference) opened the game on a 4-0 run behind junior guard Ahmad Thomas, who started things off in the contest by knocking down a mid-range jumper before getting a steal next that turned into an emphatic fast break dunk.
Thomas would go on to score six of Asheville's first eight points with the two teams all knotted up at 8-all with 14:53 left in the opening half of action.
From there High Point (13-11, 7-5 Big South Conference) would go ahead by as many as seven at 23-16, but a three-point play by Asheville junior forward Alec Wnuk shortly thereafter pulled the Bulldogs back to within four at 23-19 with 7:14 left in the first half. High Point would hit a jumper next to go up 25-19, but a four-point play on a made three-pointer and the ensuing free throw by junior guard Raekwon Miller left the Bulldogs down just two at 25-23 with 6:38 left in the first stanza.
UNC Asheville kept charging from there with Wnuk making one of two free throws and then Thomas once again obtaining a steal that led to a fast break dunk to give the Bulldogs a 26-25 advantage with 5:51 to play in the first half.
The two teams would be tied at 29-29 with just over four minutes to go in the opening stanza.
In a first half where the lead changed hands three times and there were five ties, High Point would take a narrow 34-32 lead into the halftime break.
The second half would commence with the Bulldogs scoring eight of the first 14 points in the half to tie things up at 40-all after a Wnuk layup with 15:23 remaining in the game.
The Panthers would control the next few minutes, but the Bulldogs would keep things close and after a three-point play by freshman guard MaCio Teague what was once a four-point lead at 52-48 for High Point would be just one at 52-51 with 9:58 left in the contest.
The two teams would be all tied up again at 55-all after a Thomas layup with 8:50 left in the contest. Less than a minute later, Thomas would connect on a jumper off a Wnuk assist to give the Bulldogs a 57-55 lead with 8:17 to play.
The Bulldogs would keep pushing their lead from there with Asheville leading 63-55 after a Vannatta jumper in the paint with 5:35 remaining in the contest.
Asheville would lead by as many as nine at 68-59, but with just over a minute to play the Bulldogs would own just a two-point lead at 68-66. With 46 seconds remaining, Teague would hit two free throws to extend the Bulldog lead to 70-66.
Seconds later, Teague would connect on clutch free throws once again to give the Bulldogs a 72-68 lead, but with five seconds remaining in the contest an Andre Fox three-pointer for High Point made the game just 72-71 in Asheville's favor.
Two more Teague free throws a second later gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead at 74-71.
That would prove to be all the Bulldogs would need as the last-second attempt by High Point rimmed out to leave Asheville with the thrilling win that was their first at the Millis Center since an 86-79 win over the Panthers on Jan. 14, 2012. The Bulldog win over High Point snapped a six-game winning streak for the Panthers.
Four Bulldogs finished in double figures with Thomas leading the way with 19 points, six rebounds and six steals.
Teague finished his impressive evening with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Wnuk was 6-of-8 from the field in collecting 14 points to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The final Bulldog in double figures, Vannatta ended his night with 13 points, three assists and two rebounds. He was 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Ricky Madison led five Panthers in double figures with 18 points and six rebounds.
Asheville shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) as a team from the field in its win, while High Point shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53). Both teams were strong from the free throw line as Asheville was 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) and the Panthers were 10-of-13 (76.9 percent).
BULLDOG BITES
IT'S A STEAL: Currently in the top-5 in the country in steals, Ahmad Thomas with his six steals in the win over High Point now has four games this season where he has collected five or more steals in a single game. Thomas collected a career-high and program-record 10 in the Bulldog win over Warren Wilson on Dec. 10, 2016.
STREAKING: With the win over High Point, UNC Asheville is now in the midst of a five-game winning streak. The five-game winning streak is the third five-game winning streak of the year for the Bulldogs.
SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK CONTINUES: With the win over High Point, UNC Asheville is assured of at least 10 wins in Big South Conference play for the 10th straight year.
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE: UNC Asheville remains tied with Winthrop (18-5, 10-2 Big South Conference) and Liberty (15-10, 10-2 Big South Conference) for the Big South Conference lead.
SEASON SWEEP: The win over the Panthers at the Millis Center gives the Bulldogs their first regular-season league sweep of High Point since the 2011-12 season. UNC Asheville now owns a 30-21 all-time series advantage over the Panthers.
QUOTABLES
"I am just extremely proud of their effort from beginning to end, really the whole game. We didn't always execute the entire game, but I told the team at halftime I thought our effort was great in the first half, but I thought our execution was okay. In the second half, I thought they were both there. Overall, we just had a lot of different players make big plays." – Head Coach Nick McDevitt
UP NEXT
The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is hoping to pack Kimmel Arena for its nationally-televised Big South Conference game against Winthrop that will be sponsored by Carolina Alliance Bank on ESPNU at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017.
UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt knows a loud and Bulldog proud crowd could make a huge difference.
"It would be fantastic to see Kimmel Arena packed out in front of a national TV audience," McDevitt said. "It's two teams that have enjoyed some great battles over the years, and certainly on Thursday, Feb. 9, we get the chance to showcase our team, our university and our city. It would be wonderful to see the community, the university and everyone show up to support these guys."
For the Big South Conference rivalry showdown featuring two of the teams currently leading the league that has been described by Mid-Major Madness as one of the best mid-major rivalries in the nation, UNC Asheville is calling for a BLUE OUT on what is going to be called "Bulldogs in Blue Day" in the city of Asheville.
Doors will open for the nationally-televised game on ESPNU at Kimmel Arena at 5:30 p.m.
To make the evening a fun night for the whole family, Ingles will also be sponsoring a special four-pack of tickets for just $20. Faculty and staff tickets will be just $5.
The special day that will feature the hashtag #BulldogsinBlue in addition to the official athletics hashtag #ThePursuit in the lead up and on the day of the game will include a great deal of fun for all in attendance in addition to one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball being played on the court.
All fans in attendance on the evening will also receive a special blue glowstick for "Bulldogs in Blue Day" to be utilized before the start of the league rivalry showdown.
One of the biggest draws on the evening will be a special VisitMyrtleBeach.com prize package that one lucky fan and/or family will win as part of a drawing open to only those in attendance on the evening.
The exclusive VisitMyrtleBeach.com prize package features a two nights and three-day stay in Myrtle Beach, S.C., a $50 dinner gift card, two tickets to the Myrtle Beach Skywheel and two tickets to a show all included in a special VisitMyrtleBeach.com backpack.
All Bulldog fans are encouraged to head straight to the Sherrill Center grounds as early as possible to beat the crowd, but also more importantly to enjoy great pregame food that will be available from the two food trucks that will be on site the day of the game in Melt Your Heart and Belly Up.
In addition, the concession area inside Kimmel Arena will open with the doors and Chartwells will be offering special discounted pricing for fans to enjoy throughout the evening.
The whole evening as noted will be sponsored by Carolina Alliance Bank and they will have frisbees to throw out over the course of the contest. Ingles will also be handing out pom-poms to all of those in attendance.
Great Clips will also be on site and they will be utilizing washable blue hair dye to allow fans to even add more fun with blue hair for "Bulldogs in Blue Day."
For more information on UNC Asheville men's basketball, please visit www.uncabulldogs.com.
UNC Asheville (18-7, 10-2 Big South Conference) opened the game on a 4-0 run behind junior guard Ahmad Thomas, who started things off in the contest by knocking down a mid-range jumper before getting a steal next that turned into an emphatic fast break dunk.
Thomas would go on to score six of Asheville's first eight points with the two teams all knotted up at 8-all with 14:53 left in the opening half of action.
From there High Point (13-11, 7-5 Big South Conference) would go ahead by as many as seven at 23-16, but a three-point play by Asheville junior forward Alec Wnuk shortly thereafter pulled the Bulldogs back to within four at 23-19 with 7:14 left in the first half. High Point would hit a jumper next to go up 25-19, but a four-point play on a made three-pointer and the ensuing free throw by junior guard Raekwon Miller left the Bulldogs down just two at 25-23 with 6:38 left in the first stanza.
UNC Asheville kept charging from there with Wnuk making one of two free throws and then Thomas once again obtaining a steal that led to a fast break dunk to give the Bulldogs a 26-25 advantage with 5:51 to play in the first half.
The two teams would be tied at 29-29 with just over four minutes to go in the opening stanza.
In a first half where the lead changed hands three times and there were five ties, High Point would take a narrow 34-32 lead into the halftime break.
The second half would commence with the Bulldogs scoring eight of the first 14 points in the half to tie things up at 40-all after a Wnuk layup with 15:23 remaining in the game.
The Panthers would control the next few minutes, but the Bulldogs would keep things close and after a three-point play by freshman guard MaCio Teague what was once a four-point lead at 52-48 for High Point would be just one at 52-51 with 9:58 left in the contest.
The two teams would be all tied up again at 55-all after a Thomas layup with 8:50 left in the contest. Less than a minute later, Thomas would connect on a jumper off a Wnuk assist to give the Bulldogs a 57-55 lead with 8:17 to play.
The Bulldogs would keep pushing their lead from there with Asheville leading 63-55 after a Vannatta jumper in the paint with 5:35 remaining in the contest.
Asheville would lead by as many as nine at 68-59, but with just over a minute to play the Bulldogs would own just a two-point lead at 68-66. With 46 seconds remaining, Teague would hit two free throws to extend the Bulldog lead to 70-66.
Seconds later, Teague would connect on clutch free throws once again to give the Bulldogs a 72-68 lead, but with five seconds remaining in the contest an Andre Fox three-pointer for High Point made the game just 72-71 in Asheville's favor.
Two more Teague free throws a second later gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead at 74-71.
That would prove to be all the Bulldogs would need as the last-second attempt by High Point rimmed out to leave Asheville with the thrilling win that was their first at the Millis Center since an 86-79 win over the Panthers on Jan. 14, 2012. The Bulldog win over High Point snapped a six-game winning streak for the Panthers.
Four Bulldogs finished in double figures with Thomas leading the way with 19 points, six rebounds and six steals.
Teague finished his impressive evening with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Wnuk was 6-of-8 from the field in collecting 14 points to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The final Bulldog in double figures, Vannatta ended his night with 13 points, three assists and two rebounds. He was 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Ricky Madison led five Panthers in double figures with 18 points and six rebounds.
Asheville shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) as a team from the field in its win, while High Point shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53). Both teams were strong from the free throw line as Asheville was 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) and the Panthers were 10-of-13 (76.9 percent).
BULLDOG BITES
IT'S A STEAL: Currently in the top-5 in the country in steals, Ahmad Thomas with his six steals in the win over High Point now has four games this season where he has collected five or more steals in a single game. Thomas collected a career-high and program-record 10 in the Bulldog win over Warren Wilson on Dec. 10, 2016.
STREAKING: With the win over High Point, UNC Asheville is now in the midst of a five-game winning streak. The five-game winning streak is the third five-game winning streak of the year for the Bulldogs.
SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK CONTINUES: With the win over High Point, UNC Asheville is assured of at least 10 wins in Big South Conference play for the 10th straight year.
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE: UNC Asheville remains tied with Winthrop (18-5, 10-2 Big South Conference) and Liberty (15-10, 10-2 Big South Conference) for the Big South Conference lead.
SEASON SWEEP: The win over the Panthers at the Millis Center gives the Bulldogs their first regular-season league sweep of High Point since the 2011-12 season. UNC Asheville now owns a 30-21 all-time series advantage over the Panthers.
QUOTABLES
"I am just extremely proud of their effort from beginning to end, really the whole game. We didn't always execute the entire game, but I told the team at halftime I thought our effort was great in the first half, but I thought our execution was okay. In the second half, I thought they were both there. Overall, we just had a lot of different players make big plays." – Head Coach Nick McDevitt
UP NEXT
The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is hoping to pack Kimmel Arena for its nationally-televised Big South Conference game against Winthrop that will be sponsored by Carolina Alliance Bank on ESPNU at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017.
UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt knows a loud and Bulldog proud crowd could make a huge difference.
"It would be fantastic to see Kimmel Arena packed out in front of a national TV audience," McDevitt said. "It's two teams that have enjoyed some great battles over the years, and certainly on Thursday, Feb. 9, we get the chance to showcase our team, our university and our city. It would be wonderful to see the community, the university and everyone show up to support these guys."
For the Big South Conference rivalry showdown featuring two of the teams currently leading the league that has been described by Mid-Major Madness as one of the best mid-major rivalries in the nation, UNC Asheville is calling for a BLUE OUT on what is going to be called "Bulldogs in Blue Day" in the city of Asheville.
Doors will open for the nationally-televised game on ESPNU at Kimmel Arena at 5:30 p.m.
To make the evening a fun night for the whole family, Ingles will also be sponsoring a special four-pack of tickets for just $20. Faculty and staff tickets will be just $5.
The special day that will feature the hashtag #BulldogsinBlue in addition to the official athletics hashtag #ThePursuit in the lead up and on the day of the game will include a great deal of fun for all in attendance in addition to one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball being played on the court.
All fans in attendance on the evening will also receive a special blue glowstick for "Bulldogs in Blue Day" to be utilized before the start of the league rivalry showdown.
One of the biggest draws on the evening will be a special VisitMyrtleBeach.com prize package that one lucky fan and/or family will win as part of a drawing open to only those in attendance on the evening.
The exclusive VisitMyrtleBeach.com prize package features a two nights and three-day stay in Myrtle Beach, S.C., a $50 dinner gift card, two tickets to the Myrtle Beach Skywheel and two tickets to a show all included in a special VisitMyrtleBeach.com backpack.
All Bulldog fans are encouraged to head straight to the Sherrill Center grounds as early as possible to beat the crowd, but also more importantly to enjoy great pregame food that will be available from the two food trucks that will be on site the day of the game in Melt Your Heart and Belly Up.
In addition, the concession area inside Kimmel Arena will open with the doors and Chartwells will be offering special discounted pricing for fans to enjoy throughout the evening.
The whole evening as noted will be sponsored by Carolina Alliance Bank and they will have frisbees to throw out over the course of the contest. Ingles will also be handing out pom-poms to all of those in attendance.
Great Clips will also be on site and they will be utilizing washable blue hair dye to allow fans to even add more fun with blue hair for "Bulldogs in Blue Day."
For more information on UNC Asheville men's basketball, please visit www.uncabulldogs.com.
Team Stats
AVL
HPU
FG%
.519
.509
3FG%
.231
.389
FT%
.739
.769
RB
26
30
TO
12
14
STL
9
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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