University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
5-4
Tennessee Tech
6-3
Denogkl’s Career-High, Second-Half Surge Not Enough in Loss at Tennessee Tech
12.18.2018 | Women's Basketball
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a career-high 27 points from senior Sonora Dengokl and a second-half surge, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team fell to Tennessee Tech, 60-53, on Tuesday afternoon in the Hooper Eblen Center.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
UNC Asheville struggled at the beginning of the contest. In the first 20 minutes of action, the Bulldogs were only able to muster 15 points. The Golden Eagles were able to capitalize on the offensive struggle with 35 points of their own.
Dengokl was the only player that was able to connect with multiple field goals in the first half for Asheville, as she went 6-for-10. As a team, Asheville went 7-for-30 (.233 percent).
A bright spot in the first half for the Bulldogs was they were able to force seven steals.
The second half was a different half for Asheville, as it was able to outscore Tennessee Tech by 13 points, 38-25.
The third quarter was Asheville's strongest stanza, as it was able to tally 21 points. In that quarter, the Bulldogs also held Tennessee Tech to just two made field goals on six shot attempts. Dengokl led Asheville in the quarter (eight points), while Ali Trani and Nadiria Evans combined for nine points in the 21-point quarter.
In the fourth quarter, UNC Asheville was still able to outscore the Golden Eagles (17-11), but the six-point advantage in the final 10 minutes of play wasn't enough to overcome the halftime deficit. However, Dengokl added to her point total with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting in the final stanza. Evans posted six points, as she also shot .500 percent from the hardwood.
Despite outscoring the Golden Eagles by 13 points in the second half, the Bulldogs only fell by seven points, 60-53.
Overall, Dengokl led both teams with a career-high 27 points. Her previous-best mark was 20 points, which she set on March 9, 2017 versus Longwood. The senior guard finished the road game at TTU making a career-high 13 field goals on 24 shot attempts. She also added four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes of play.
Evans was the second Bulldog in double digits, as the reigning Big South Player of the Week totaled 11 points. The Gainesville, Fla. native shot .500 percent (5-for-10) from the hardwood and also added an assist and two boards.
Redshirt senior Tiffany Wilson and senior Trani contributed five points each.
As a team, UNC Asheville was able to rebound from a slow start and shot .444 percent (16-for-26) in the second half.
In the road game, the Bulldogs only coughed up 13 turnovers and tallied 10 steals.
The Asheville defense was stout, as it forced 22 Golden Eagle turnovers. In the last three games, Asheville has forced 72 total turnovers (24 opponent turnovers per game). The Bulldog defense also held TTU to only four made field goals in the second half. Impressively, the Golden Eagles were only able to attempt 12 shots in the final 20 minutes of play.
Tennessee Tech had two players in double figures – Kesha Brady (14 points) and Akia Harris (12).
UNC Asheville drops to 5-4 overall on the year, and Tennessee Tech moves to 6-3 on the season.
What's Next?
UNC Asheville will continue its road trip with a date with Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Dec. 20. The Bulldogs and Blue Raiders will face off at 7:30 p.m. ET in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the contest will be streamed on C-USA TV.
