University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thorpe Earns Big South Player of the Week Nod
11.11.2019 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE – Redshirt sophomore guard LJ Thorpe of UNC Asheville's men's basketball team earned the first Big South Conference Player of the Week honor of the 2019-20 season, the league announced, Monday.
A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Thorpe leads the conference in field goal percentage after the first week of play, hitting 65 percent of his shots (13-of-20).
Thorpe led all scorers in the Bulldogs' season opener at Tennessee, recording the second 20-point game of his career, pouring in 22 points on a 9-of-12 effort from the field. The nine made field goals tied his career high.
He also finished the game with a career-best five steals, joining teammate Lavar Batts, Jr. as the first Bulldogs to record five steals in a game since Ahmad Thomas in January of 2018. He was instrumental in the Bulldogs holding a 13-5 advantage in steals against the Volunteers.
Against Tennessee, Thorpe did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 16 of his 22 points after the break to help keep the Bulldogs in the game.
In Saturday's matchup at The Citadel, Thorpe finished as the third-leading scorer with 12 points. He is the only Bulldog to score in double digits in both games this season. He hit 4-of-8 from the field and drained all four of his free throws.
He also helped the Bulldogs control the glass with a career-best eight rebounds, as the Bulldogs finished with a plus-13 rebounding margin in their 91-76 victory.
Thorpe becomes the first Bulldog to earn men's basketball Big South Player of the Week honors since Thomas received the nod, February 19, 2018. He is the first Bulldog to win a weekly award since Coty Jude was named Co-Freshman of the Week, February 4, 2019.
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A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Thorpe leads the conference in field goal percentage after the first week of play, hitting 65 percent of his shots (13-of-20).
Thorpe led all scorers in the Bulldogs' season opener at Tennessee, recording the second 20-point game of his career, pouring in 22 points on a 9-of-12 effort from the field. The nine made field goals tied his career high.
He also finished the game with a career-best five steals, joining teammate Lavar Batts, Jr. as the first Bulldogs to record five steals in a game since Ahmad Thomas in January of 2018. He was instrumental in the Bulldogs holding a 13-5 advantage in steals against the Volunteers.
Against Tennessee, Thorpe did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 16 of his 22 points after the break to help keep the Bulldogs in the game.
In Saturday's matchup at The Citadel, Thorpe finished as the third-leading scorer with 12 points. He is the only Bulldog to score in double digits in both games this season. He hit 4-of-8 from the field and drained all four of his free throws.
He also helped the Bulldogs control the glass with a career-best eight rebounds, as the Bulldogs finished with a plus-13 rebounding margin in their 91-76 victory.
Thorpe becomes the first Bulldog to earn men's basketball Big South Player of the Week honors since Thomas received the nod, February 19, 2018. He is the first Bulldog to win a weekly award since Coty Jude was named Co-Freshman of the Week, February 4, 2019.
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Players Mentioned
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