University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Sunday, March 12
Lynchburg, VA
4 P.M.
UNC Asheville
19-14
49
vs
48
Radford
24-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 11 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 49 |
| Radford | 14 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 48 |
BACK-TO-BACK! Bulldogs are Going Dancing for Second Straight Season After Thrilling Win Over Radford
03.12.2017 | Women's Basketball
Postgame Press Conferences (Click Link to Access)
Highlights (Click Link to Access)
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Seventh-seeded UNC Asheville became the first Big South Conference women's basketball team to win four games in four days and claim the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship with a 49-48 win over top-seeded Radford at the Vines Center.
UNC Asheville (19-14) also became the first seventh seed to win the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship with their impressive run.
The Bulldogs' third league title overall and second straight advances Asheville to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will learn of their 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship destination during the Selection Show that will be carried live on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 13.
Radford (24-8) would open the contest on a 8-0 run, but Asheville senior guard Chatori Major stopped the run and got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with her 75th three-pointer of the season with 5:44 left in the first quarter.
The Highlanders would go on to lead by as many as nine in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs would hold Radford scoreless for the final 2:58 of the quarter while at the same going on a 6-0 run to trail by just three points at 14-11 at the quarter break.
The second quarter would commence with Asheville going on a 7-4 run to tie things up at 18-all after a KJ Weaver layup with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
The two teams would play close the rest of the half with Radford entering the halftime break with a 33-27 advantage over the Bulldogs. Khaila Webb led the Bulldogs in the first half with 12 points.
The third quarter was tightly contested with the Bulldogs outscoring the Highlanders 11-9 in the quarter to enter the fourth quarter down by just four to the Highlanders at 42-38.
The fourth quarter would open with Major once again hitting a big three to pull the Bulldogs to within one point at 42-41 with 9:32 remaining in the game.
The Highlanders would lead 48-41 with 5:10 remaining, but the Bulldogs would trail by just three at 48-45 with under two minutes to play. A Major jumper with 56 seconds remaining had the Bulldogs down just one at 48-47.
Shortly thereafter the Bulldogs took their first and only lead of the game when junior center Bronaza Fitzgerald knocked down two free throws with only five seconds remaining.
The Highlanders then could not connect in the final few seconds to leave the Bulldogs with the thrilling one-point win.
UNC Asheville concluded its win shooting 34.5 percent (19-of-55) as a team, while Radford shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49).
Webb led two Bulldogs in double figures with a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two assists and one steal. Major finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
Radford's Janayla White picked up a double-double of her own in the Highlander loss with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
BULLDOG BITES
ALL-TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville took three spots on the 2017 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team with sophomore guard Sonora Dengokl, junior center Bronaza Fitzgerald and senior guard Chatori Major all earning a spot on the team. Dengokl was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
WHEN IT MATTERED: In a game in which there were two ties and just one lead change, UNC Asheville only led for the final five seconds. Radford led for 37:06 of the contest, while the game was tied for 2:49.
ASHEVILLE IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville is now 18-28 in the Big South Tournament. The Bulldogs have now reached the championship game five times, including winning the crown in 2007, 2016 and 2017. The Bulldogs were runners up in 1998 and 2005. As the No. 7 Seed, UNC Asheville is now 4-4. The Bulldogs were the first seventh seed to reach the title game since 2013 and just the fourth overall. They were the first seven seed to win the championship game.
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PROGRAM-BEST: The win over Radford was Asheville's seventh straight league tournament win, which is the best in program history.
BULLDOGS IN BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT UNDER BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK: The Bulldogs are now 9-3 in the Big South Tournament under head coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, who is now just the fifth Big South coach with multiple tournament titles.
QUOTABLES
On how winning the championship game by only leading five seconds perfectly encapsulates what Bulldogs have been through this season
"It's a reflection of how things have gone. It's a reflection of our ability to stay calm, steady and composed in those situations. In the timeouts, we were all calm, coaches included. That's a perfect ending to tell the story of our season." – Head Coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
Highlights (Click Link to Access)
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Seventh-seeded UNC Asheville became the first Big South Conference women's basketball team to win four games in four days and claim the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship with a 49-48 win over top-seeded Radford at the Vines Center.
UNC Asheville (19-14) also became the first seventh seed to win the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship with their impressive run.
The Bulldogs' third league title overall and second straight advances Asheville to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will learn of their 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship destination during the Selection Show that will be carried live on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 13.
Radford (24-8) would open the contest on a 8-0 run, but Asheville senior guard Chatori Major stopped the run and got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with her 75th three-pointer of the season with 5:44 left in the first quarter.
The Highlanders would go on to lead by as many as nine in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs would hold Radford scoreless for the final 2:58 of the quarter while at the same going on a 6-0 run to trail by just three points at 14-11 at the quarter break.
The second quarter would commence with Asheville going on a 7-4 run to tie things up at 18-all after a KJ Weaver layup with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
The two teams would play close the rest of the half with Radford entering the halftime break with a 33-27 advantage over the Bulldogs. Khaila Webb led the Bulldogs in the first half with 12 points.
The third quarter was tightly contested with the Bulldogs outscoring the Highlanders 11-9 in the quarter to enter the fourth quarter down by just four to the Highlanders at 42-38.
The fourth quarter would open with Major once again hitting a big three to pull the Bulldogs to within one point at 42-41 with 9:32 remaining in the game.
The Highlanders would lead 48-41 with 5:10 remaining, but the Bulldogs would trail by just three at 48-45 with under two minutes to play. A Major jumper with 56 seconds remaining had the Bulldogs down just one at 48-47.
Shortly thereafter the Bulldogs took their first and only lead of the game when junior center Bronaza Fitzgerald knocked down two free throws with only five seconds remaining.
The Highlanders then could not connect in the final few seconds to leave the Bulldogs with the thrilling one-point win.
UNC Asheville concluded its win shooting 34.5 percent (19-of-55) as a team, while Radford shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49).
Webb led two Bulldogs in double figures with a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two assists and one steal. Major finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
Radford's Janayla White picked up a double-double of her own in the Highlander loss with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
BULLDOG BITES
ALL-TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville took three spots on the 2017 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team with sophomore guard Sonora Dengokl, junior center Bronaza Fitzgerald and senior guard Chatori Major all earning a spot on the team. Dengokl was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
WHEN IT MATTERED: In a game in which there were two ties and just one lead change, UNC Asheville only led for the final five seconds. Radford led for 37:06 of the contest, while the game was tied for 2:49.
ASHEVILLE IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville is now 18-28 in the Big South Tournament. The Bulldogs have now reached the championship game five times, including winning the crown in 2007, 2016 and 2017. The Bulldogs were runners up in 1998 and 2005. As the No. 7 Seed, UNC Asheville is now 4-4. The Bulldogs were the first seventh seed to reach the title game since 2013 and just the fourth overall. They were the first seven seed to win the championship game.
Â
PROGRAM-BEST: The win over Radford was Asheville's seventh straight league tournament win, which is the best in program history.
BULLDOGS IN BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT UNDER BRENDA MOCK KIRKPATRICK: The Bulldogs are now 9-3 in the Big South Tournament under head coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, who is now just the fifth Big South coach with multiple tournament titles.
QUOTABLES
On how winning the championship game by only leading five seconds perfectly encapsulates what Bulldogs have been through this season
"It's a reflection of how things have gone. It's a reflection of our ability to stay calm, steady and composed in those situations. In the timeouts, we were all calm, coaches included. That's a perfect ending to tell the story of our season." – Head Coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick
Team Stats
AVL
RAD
FG%
.345
.408
3FG%
.500
.143
FT%
.556
.636
RB
34
36
TO
10
13
STL
5
2
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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