University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Tuesday, December 11
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM
UNC Asheville
vs
ETSU
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Hosts ETSU in Final Home Non-Conference Game
12.10.2018 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
2018-19 UNC Asheville Women's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (4-3, 0-0 Big South)
East Tennessee State University (1-10, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Asheville, N.C. (Kimmel Arena)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 11 / 7 p.m.
Live Stream: BSN on ESPN+
Radio: Can be heard on local radio (100.3 FM) or online HERE – Mike Gore (PBP)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @UNCAvlWBB #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For its final home non-conference game of the 2018-19 season, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team hosts ETSU on Tuesday, Dec. 11 inside Kimmel Arena.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on BSN on ESPN+.
BULLDOG BITES
About UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville hosts the Buccaneers with a 4-3 overall record. The Bulldogs are undefeated (4-0) in home games this year with wins over Western Carolina, Davidson, Wofford and Warren Wilson. Like ETSU, two of those schools are Southern Conference members – WCU and Wofford.
In its four home games this year, UNC Asheville has an average scoring margin of +28.3. The biggest margin of victory inside Kimmel Arena this year was 61 points in the 92-31 victory over Warren Wilson. The Bulldogs are shooting at a .425 clip and have held opponents to a .299 field goal percentage as well. Asheville has earned 34 more trips to the free-throw line and have converted on 23 more opportunities than the opposition. Defensively, Asheville has held opponents to 45.5 points per game, a .200 three-point field goal percentage and 33.5 rebounds per game.
Unsurprisingly, UNC Asheville has dominated the second half in home games, as it has outscored the opposition by 71 points (166-95). Eighty-eight of the 166 points scored in the second half have been scored in the third quarter alone.
Individually, three Bulldogs are averaging double digits in home contests – Sonora Dengokl (16.3 points per game), Jessica Wall (13.5) and Nadiria Evans (12.3). Of the 295 points scored at home, Dengokl, Wall and Evans have combined for 57 percent of those points (168 points). Juliet Esadah has been a force on the glass at home, as the junior is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Eighteen of those rebounds came off the defensive glass. Dengokl has also been strong on the glass, as the senior has grabbed a team-high 10 offensive rebounds. Ali Trani is right behind her teammate with nine offensive rebounds.
Scouting ETSU
ETSU travels to Asheville with a 1-10 overall record. The Bucs have a 0-4 road record and are 0-7 in games away from Brooks Gym.
The ETSU offense is led by sophomore guard Erica Haynes-Overton, who is averaging 17.5 points per game. She also has the third-most rebounds on the team with 53 total rebounds (4.8 boards per game). She has also been unstoppable on defense, as she has 52 total steals this year (4.72 steals per contest).
Raven Dean and Lexus Spears are two forwards to keep an eye on in the contest, as they average 8.8 and 8.5 points per game, respectively. The duo has combined for 85 rebounds, 12 blocks, 12 steals and 191 points this year.
All-Time History Versus the Bucs
Tuesday's contest will mark the 20th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Bucs. This is the first time the two clubs have met since the 2015-16 season, when ETSU won by six points, 74-68. Asheville's first head-to-head victory over the Bucs was during the 2003-04 season, when the Bulldogs won 55-49.
In the last meeting three seasons ago, four Bulldogs posted double-digit performances – Chatori Major (16), Tianna Knuckles (12), K.J. Weaver (10) and Ja'Da Brayboy (10). Current Bulldogs – Kelli Fisher, Dengokl and Wall – combined for seven points on 3-for-8 shooting.
BARKING ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
NEW STRATEGIC PLAN: UNC Asheville athletics officially unveiled its newest strategic plan on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. The strategic plan entitled "Believe. Achieve. Thrive." is the road map for UNC Asheville athletics over the course of the next five years. The strategic plan outlines key areas of focus and growth in developing lifetime leaders from the most valuable resource that UNC Asheville athletics has in its student-athletes. To learn more about the strategic plan, please visit HERE (PDF).
NATIONAL CHAMPS: The nationally second-ranked UNC Asheville men's tennis doubles duo of Oli Nolan and Henry Patten secured a national championship on Sunday, Nov. 11, with a 6-2, 6-1 win over nationally 42nd-ranked Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn of Texas Tech in the championship match of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. In addition to the national championship win, Patten was also voted by the ITA Officials at the event to receive the Sportsmanship Award for the 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. The championship match win for Nolan and Patten was part of a tremendous fall of 2018 for the pairing. Nolan and Patten went undefeated playing together during the fall and won three titles including the national championship.
MORE THAN MAKING THE GRADE: For the 2017-18 athletic year, the UNC Asheville student-athletes showed their commitment to the classroom by finishing the academic year with a combined grade-point average of 3.142. Impressively, 72 percent (161 of 223) UNC Asheville student-athletes during the 2017-18 athletic year received Athletic Director Honor Roll recognition with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
TWO-TIME SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: For the second time in his career, UNC Asheville senior Blanton Gillespie was selected as a Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Gillespie was chosen as the 2018 Big South Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the Big South Cross Country Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting and UCS at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex on Friday, Oct. 26. The honor is just the latest for Gillespie, who was named the 2018 Big South Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in May of 2018.
BIG SOUTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR: UNC Asheville graduate Kayli Nichols was selected as the 2017-18 Big South Conference Woman of the Year. With degrees in German and Political Science and a minor in Spanish, Nichols graduated from UNC Asheville with a GPA of 3.974. During her senior campaign, she was named the Big South Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Big South Indoor Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
BIG SOUTH MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: On the same day that he started his new full-time position in the Corporate Analyst Development Program at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Columbus, Ohio on July 11, 2018, former UNC Asheville men's basketball standout Kevin Vannatta was chosen as the 2017-18 Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to winning the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the conference, Vannatta was also chosen as the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's basketball and as the Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Upper Arlington, Ohio native was also selected to the 2017-18 Academic All-America® NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). An Accounting major at UNC Asheville, Vannatta graduated with a 3.94 grade-point average.
How To Follow The Game Live
The game versus ETSU will be streamed on BSN on ESPN+. The streaming link can be found by clicking HERE. The game can also be heard locally on the radio on REWIND 100.3 or online by clicking HERE. Live stats will also be available, and the link can be found by clicking HERE.
What's Next?
UNC Asheville will open a four-game roadswing with a trip to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is set for noon, eastern, as it will serve as the Golden Eagles' Education Day game.
2018-19 UNC Asheville Women's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (4-3, 0-0 Big South)
East Tennessee State University (1-10, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Asheville, N.C. (Kimmel Arena)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 11 / 7 p.m.
Live Stream: BSN on ESPN+
Radio: Can be heard on local radio (100.3 FM) or online HERE – Mike Gore (PBP)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @UNCAvlWBB #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For its final home non-conference game of the 2018-19 season, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team hosts ETSU on Tuesday, Dec. 11 inside Kimmel Arena.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on BSN on ESPN+.
BULLDOG BITES
About UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville hosts the Buccaneers with a 4-3 overall record. The Bulldogs are undefeated (4-0) in home games this year with wins over Western Carolina, Davidson, Wofford and Warren Wilson. Like ETSU, two of those schools are Southern Conference members – WCU and Wofford.
In its four home games this year, UNC Asheville has an average scoring margin of +28.3. The biggest margin of victory inside Kimmel Arena this year was 61 points in the 92-31 victory over Warren Wilson. The Bulldogs are shooting at a .425 clip and have held opponents to a .299 field goal percentage as well. Asheville has earned 34 more trips to the free-throw line and have converted on 23 more opportunities than the opposition. Defensively, Asheville has held opponents to 45.5 points per game, a .200 three-point field goal percentage and 33.5 rebounds per game.
Unsurprisingly, UNC Asheville has dominated the second half in home games, as it has outscored the opposition by 71 points (166-95). Eighty-eight of the 166 points scored in the second half have been scored in the third quarter alone.
Individually, three Bulldogs are averaging double digits in home contests – Sonora Dengokl (16.3 points per game), Jessica Wall (13.5) and Nadiria Evans (12.3). Of the 295 points scored at home, Dengokl, Wall and Evans have combined for 57 percent of those points (168 points). Juliet Esadah has been a force on the glass at home, as the junior is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Eighteen of those rebounds came off the defensive glass. Dengokl has also been strong on the glass, as the senior has grabbed a team-high 10 offensive rebounds. Ali Trani is right behind her teammate with nine offensive rebounds.
Scouting ETSU
ETSU travels to Asheville with a 1-10 overall record. The Bucs have a 0-4 road record and are 0-7 in games away from Brooks Gym.
The ETSU offense is led by sophomore guard Erica Haynes-Overton, who is averaging 17.5 points per game. She also has the third-most rebounds on the team with 53 total rebounds (4.8 boards per game). She has also been unstoppable on defense, as she has 52 total steals this year (4.72 steals per contest).
Raven Dean and Lexus Spears are two forwards to keep an eye on in the contest, as they average 8.8 and 8.5 points per game, respectively. The duo has combined for 85 rebounds, 12 blocks, 12 steals and 191 points this year.
All-Time History Versus the Bucs
Tuesday's contest will mark the 20th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Bucs. This is the first time the two clubs have met since the 2015-16 season, when ETSU won by six points, 74-68. Asheville's first head-to-head victory over the Bucs was during the 2003-04 season, when the Bulldogs won 55-49.
In the last meeting three seasons ago, four Bulldogs posted double-digit performances – Chatori Major (16), Tianna Knuckles (12), K.J. Weaver (10) and Ja'Da Brayboy (10). Current Bulldogs – Kelli Fisher, Dengokl and Wall – combined for seven points on 3-for-8 shooting.
BARKING ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
NEW STRATEGIC PLAN: UNC Asheville athletics officially unveiled its newest strategic plan on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. The strategic plan entitled "Believe. Achieve. Thrive." is the road map for UNC Asheville athletics over the course of the next five years. The strategic plan outlines key areas of focus and growth in developing lifetime leaders from the most valuable resource that UNC Asheville athletics has in its student-athletes. To learn more about the strategic plan, please visit HERE (PDF).
NATIONAL CHAMPS: The nationally second-ranked UNC Asheville men's tennis doubles duo of Oli Nolan and Henry Patten secured a national championship on Sunday, Nov. 11, with a 6-2, 6-1 win over nationally 42nd-ranked Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn of Texas Tech in the championship match of the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. In addition to the national championship win, Patten was also voted by the ITA Officials at the event to receive the Sportsmanship Award for the 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. The championship match win for Nolan and Patten was part of a tremendous fall of 2018 for the pairing. Nolan and Patten went undefeated playing together during the fall and won three titles including the national championship.
MORE THAN MAKING THE GRADE: For the 2017-18 athletic year, the UNC Asheville student-athletes showed their commitment to the classroom by finishing the academic year with a combined grade-point average of 3.142. Impressively, 72 percent (161 of 223) UNC Asheville student-athletes during the 2017-18 athletic year received Athletic Director Honor Roll recognition with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
TWO-TIME SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: For the second time in his career, UNC Asheville senior Blanton Gillespie was selected as a Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Gillespie was chosen as the 2018 Big South Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the Big South Cross Country Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting and UCS at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex on Friday, Oct. 26. The honor is just the latest for Gillespie, who was named the 2018 Big South Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in May of 2018.
BIG SOUTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR: UNC Asheville graduate Kayli Nichols was selected as the 2017-18 Big South Conference Woman of the Year. With degrees in German and Political Science and a minor in Spanish, Nichols graduated from UNC Asheville with a GPA of 3.974. During her senior campaign, she was named the Big South Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Big South Indoor Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
BIG SOUTH MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: On the same day that he started his new full-time position in the Corporate Analyst Development Program at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Columbus, Ohio on July 11, 2018, former UNC Asheville men's basketball standout Kevin Vannatta was chosen as the 2017-18 Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to winning the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the conference, Vannatta was also chosen as the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's basketball and as the Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Upper Arlington, Ohio native was also selected to the 2017-18 Academic All-America® NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). An Accounting major at UNC Asheville, Vannatta graduated with a 3.94 grade-point average.
How To Follow The Game Live
The game versus ETSU will be streamed on BSN on ESPN+. The streaming link can be found by clicking HERE. The game can also be heard locally on the radio on REWIND 100.3 or online by clicking HERE. Live stats will also be available, and the link can be found by clicking HERE.
What's Next?
UNC Asheville will open a four-game roadswing with a trip to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is set for noon, eastern, as it will serve as the Golden Eagles' Education Day game.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
Distance
/ Cross Country
Sprints
/ Track and Field
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Basketball
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