University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
9-10, 6-2BSC
Presbyterian
7-12, 4-4BSC
UNC Asheville’s Five-Game Winning Streak Ends with 76-74 Loss to Presbyterian
01.27.2018 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville women's basketball team's five-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday as the Bulldogs narrowly fell 76-74 to Presbyterian inside Kimmel Arena.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
Only four minutes into the game, UNC Asheville started the contest red-hot as it jumped out to an 11-0 lead. Bronaza Fitzgerald netted seven of the Bulldogs' 11 points as she was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field early on in the contest. Over the next four minutes, the Bulldogs pushed their lead to 15 points (20-5), but Presbyterian ended the first ten minutes with a small run as it pulled the deficit to eight points (20-12, Asheville).
At the start of the second quarter, the Bulldogs pushed their lead back to 15, but PC continued to find its stroke as it pulled the deficit to single digits and ultimately a tie game right before halftime (38-38).
Fitzgerald was the main offense for the Bulldogs as she recorded 16 points in the first half on 7-for-10 shooting. She also had nine boards in 14 minutes of action. Ali Trani was a perfect 3-for-3 from the hardwood as she tallied six points and two boards in 10 minutes of play.
After a short intermission, the Blue Hose earned their first lead of the contest thanks to a three-pointer seconds into the third quarter. They continued to push their lead to 11 with 40 seconds remaining in the stanza, but the Bulldogs closed the gap to five points (56-51) as Trani drilled a three-pointer with only two seconds remaining in the quarter.
Two minutes into the fourth stanza, the Bulldogs tied the game for a second time at 58-58. Following two lead changes, the Bulldogs found themselves ahead by a point (68-67) thanks to Jessica Wall's three-pointer with 2:06 left in regulation. The Blue Hose posted a 5-0 run to take a four-point lead, but Wall made another clutch three-pointer to make it a one-point contest with just over a minute remaining. After PC made two clutch free throws with 25 seconds, Zip Scott tied the game at 74-74 with only 12 seconds remaining in regulation. The Blue Hose pulled away with two seconds left as Cortney Storey made a layup. The Bulldogs had one last chance to get a shot up, but the ball was stolen away as Presbyterian claimed the 76-74 victory.
Fitzgerald ended the game with 23 points (new career high) as she shot 10-for-17 from the field. She also grabbed 16 boards, which was only one shy from matching a career high that she set two games ago at Winthrop on Jan. 20. With her 23 points and 16 rebounds, she recorded her 12th career double-double and the seventh of the season.
Wall was the Bulldogs second-leading scorer as she tallied 12 points, which all came behind the three-point arc (4-for-9). She corralled five rebounds and dished out three assists and three steals.
Khaila Webb and Trani each tallied nine points. Webb matched a career high with seven assists, and Trani made four baskets and grabbed four rebounds.
As a team, Asheville totaled 34 points in the paint including 15 points off turnovers. They tallied 10 fast-break points while shooting .491 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs drop to 9-10 overall and 6-2 in Big South Conference play, and Presbyterian advances to 7-12 overall and 4-4 in the league.
Quotable
What's Coming Up For UNC Asheville?
The Bulldogs hit the road on Tuesday, Jan. 30 as they travel to Gardner-Webb for a 7 p.m. tip.
