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University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
13-12, 10-4BSC
Liberty
17-9, 12-2BSC
Webb Scores 1,000th Career Point; Bulldogs Edged by Flames in Defensive Battle
02.17.2018 | Women's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Senior guard Khaila Webb scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday, but the UNC Asheville women's basketball team was edged by Liberty, 53-48, inside the Vines Center.
Webb becomes the 20th Bulldog to eclipse the mark and the 116th player to achieve this milestone in the Big South Conference.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
The first quarter saw 23 combined points, as Liberty held the narrow 14-9 edge after the first ten minutes of action. Freshman Nadiria Evans paced the Bulldogs, as she netted four points. Webb made her 1,000th career point off a jumper with only seconds remaining in the stanza.
The Bulldogs and Flames combined to make nine field goals in the second stanza. Asheville made five of those field goals, as Ali Trani made the only three-pointer for the Bulldogs in the quarter. Trani tallied five of her points in the 10-minute span, while Bronaza Fitzgerald connected with four points.
At the halftime break, UNC Asheville was only down four points, 26-22. Trani and Webb paced Asheville with five points each, while Fitzgerald and Evans each tallied four points.
UNC Asheville pulled the deficit to only three points (30-27) with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. However, the Lady Flames went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 36-27. The Bulldogs went on a 6-2 run of their own to make it a 38-33 deficit heading into the final stanza.
To start the final 10 minutes of action, the two teams exchanged a pair of free throws in the first minute and a half. The Bulldogs pulled the game to only one point after Fitzgerald made a layup with over six and a half minutes remaining in regulation. The Flames extend their lead to 49-42 following a 7-1 run that spanned three minutes. The Bulldogs ended the run, as Webb made a jumper with 1:24 left in regulation.
Forty-one seconds later, Jessica Wall made her second basket of the game to make it a three-point game (49-46) with Liberty leading.
Zip Scott quickly fouled Tatyana Crowder, but the Flame made both free throws to make it 51-46.
Despite Fitzgerald making a jumper with a few seconds remaining in regulation, Liberty sealed the 53-48 victory after making two free throws with four seconds left.
Fitzgerald led the Bulldog offense with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double marked the 15th career and 11th double-double of the season for the senior. Of those 10 boards, four came on the offensive glass. Webb was the second Bulldog to post double-figures, as the 1,000-point scorer totaled 10 points versus the Flames. She also tallied three assists and one block.
Evans finished the contest with eight points on 4-for-7 shooting in 17 minutes of action.
As a team, Asheville finished the game shooting 36 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs capitalized on 15 Liberty turnovers, as they totaled 14 points off miscues.
UNC Asheville falls to 13-12 overall and 10-4 in the Big South, and Liberty advances to 17-9 overall and 12-2 in league contests.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs look to rebound, as they host Campbell on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena.
