University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
4-8, 1-0
Campbell
7-5, 0-1
UNC Asheville Dominates Second Half as Bulldogs Open Big South Play with 60-52 Comeback Victory at Campbell
01.02.2018 | Women's Basketball
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – To open up Big South Conference play, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team out-scored Campbell 41-21 in the second half as the Bulldogs downed the Camels 60-52 inside Gore Arena on Tuesday night.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
Behind six different players scoring in the first six minutes of play, Campbell worked fast and jumped out to a 12-2 advantage in the Big South Conference opener. The Bulldogs ended the in-state rival's run by scoring nine points in the final three minutes to make it a 20-11 deficit.
Both teams didn't shoot well in the second stanza as UNC Asheville and Campbell combined for just 19 points in the quarter. Campbell had the longest run (7-0) in the second quarter as it jumped out to a 14-point lead (31-17), which was its highest lead in the contest.
Despite Campbell earning its largest lead of the game right before halftime, the Bulldogs came roaring back in the second half as it out-scored the Camels 41-21 in the final 20 minutes of play.
The Bulldogs posted two big runs of six and seven points, which gave them their second lead of the contest at the 1:23 mark in the third quarter. It was the first time Asheville had led the game since a 2-1 lead 54 seconds into the game. Even though the Bulldogs out-scored the Camels 20-9 in the third stanza, Campbell was clinging to a one-point advantage (40-39) heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
After going back-and-forth for a minute and a half at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs started to pull away - 49-43 - after going on a 7-0 run. The two teams exchanged baskets, but junior guard Jessica Wall went on a scoring spree of seven points to extend the Asheville lead to eight - 55-47. MaKala Rouse knocked down a three pointer with just under two minutes remaining, but the Bulldogs finished the game on a 5-2 run to seal the Big South Conference victory - 60-52.
Senior center Bronaza Fitzgerald led the Bulldog offense for the third time this season as she tallied her third double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds) of the year and the eighth of her career. She went 7-for-10 from the field while also recording two blocks and a steal in 22 minutes of action.
Wall finished the game with nine points, which all came in the second half. Similar to Wall, Fitzgerald scored nearly all of her points in the second half as the Danville, Va. native totaled 14 points in the final 20 minutes. Ali Trani totaled five points while the junior guard was second on the squad with six rebounds including a team-high four offensive boards.
Freshman guard Amaryah Corpening matched a single-game career high as she tallied seven points.
In the second half, UNC Asheville committed four fewer turnovers (7-3) while forcing six more steals (7-1). The Bulldogs were also red-hot from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes as they went 13-for-15 (.867) from the free-throw line. They also made five more baskets than Campbell as Asheville shot .500 percent (13-for-26) from the field.
UNC Asheville moves to 4-8 overall and 1-0 in league play as Campbell falls to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the Big South.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs host their first Big South Conference game of the season as they entertain High Point on Saturday, Jan. 6 inside Kimmel Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
