Late Rally Falls Just Short in Bulldog Home League Loss to Radford

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville men's basketball mounted a furious late charge, but Big South preseason favorite Radford held off the Bulldogs, 71-63, before a crowd of 2,314 at Kimmel Arena on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019.

UNC Asheville (2-17, 0-5 Big South Conference) opened the game on a 5-2 run to own a very early lead with just over 17 minutes left in the opening half of action.

The two teams would play close over the next seven minutes with the Bulldogs down just two to Radford (13-6, 5-0 Big South Conference) at 17-15 with 10:05 remaining in half No. 1.

That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get for the rest of the half with the Highlanders taking a 31-22 lead into the halftime break.

Radford would hold a double-digit advantage for the first 15 minutes of the second half with the Highlanders up 15 at 64-49 with 5:01 to play in the contest.

The Bulldogs would not go down without a fight though with Asheville going on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to pull within five at 64-59 after a DeVon Baker steal that led to a three-point play with 2:01 left in the game.

The Highlanders would be able to withstand the Bulldog charge in the final couple of minutes to secure the eight-point win.

UNC Asheville finished the game shooting 41.5 percent (22-of-53) as a team. The Bulldogs were a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe.

Radford closed out the game shooting 51 percent (25-of-49) as a team. The Highlanders hit just 12 of their 21 (57.1 percent) of their free throw attempts.

Lawson was one of two Bulldogs in double figures in the game with Baker leading the way with a game-best 26 points. He also had three steals, one assist and one rebound. He was a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line.

Lawson was 5-of-8 from the field in finishing with his career-best 14 points. He was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also had three rebounds, two assists and a career-high two blocks.

Three from Radford finished in double figures with Ed Polite, Jr. collecting a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards.

BULLDOG BITES

Perfect from the Charity Stripe
UNC Asheville finished a game perfect from the free throw line for the second time this season in the game against Radford. In addition to going 12-of-12 against the Highlanders the Bulldogs also went 3-of-3 against Furman. The Bulldogs are shooting an impressive 86.4 percent (57-of-66) in league play. Currently among the best in the entire country in the category, the Bulldogs are shooting 76.7 percent (204-of-266) from the free throw line as a team on the year.

First Time in Double Figures
In collecting his career-best 14 points, Luke Lawson reached double figures for the first time in his career against the Highlanders. His career-best entering the game against the Highlanders was nine points, which he had accomplished twice on the year (Auburn and Hampton).

Baker Keeps Scoring
DeVon Baker has now scored in double figures for 11 straight games. After his 26 against Radford, Baker now has seven games for the Bulldogs on the year where he has scored 20 or more.

Up Next
UNC Asheville will play its second game of the conference season against rival Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C. at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019.

Highlights

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Late Rally Falls Just Short in Bulldog Home League Loss to Radford

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Team Stats

DeVon Baker

Luke Lawson

Coty Jude

Donovan Gilmore

Players Mentioned

DeVon Baker

Luke Lawson

Players Mentioned

DeVon Baker

Luke Lawson

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics