Bulldogs Host St. Andrews in Thursday Night Action

GAME NOTES | vs ST. ANDREWS

ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball team is set to host its second home game of the season in Kimmel Arena when it welcomes St. Andrews to town for a 6 p.m., Thursday, matchup.

The Bulldogs (2-2) enter Thursday's game coming off a 79-49 victory in their home opener last Saturday against Brevard. The Bulldogs forced Brevard into 31 turnovers on the night, the second-highest single-game total for Asheville in more than a decade.

Redshirt sophomore Tajion Jones led the way in scoring for the second-consecutive game with 16 points, while freshman Jamon Battle scored a career-best 13 points. All 14 players on the roster saw at least eight minutes of action, and 12 of the 14 scored at least two points.

St. Andrews (2-3, 2-2 AAC) is four games into Appalachian Athletic Conference action, and is coming off a narrow 76-72 overtime defeat against Union College.

It will be the eighth all-time meeting between UNC Asheville and St. Andrews. After playing six times in the 1960s, the teams met for the first time in more than 50 years last season, a game the Bulldogs won, 87-47, to give head coach Mike Morrell his first-career victory.

Season tickets for basketball start at just $125 for general admission seating at men's and women's home games, while reserved seats are $250. To purchase tickets or for more information, fans can click HERE or call 828-258-7900.

Saturday's action will be available streaming on ESPN+ HERE with Matt Stradley and John Williams on the call. Brian Hall and hall-of-famer Mike Gore will have the radio call on ESPN Asheville and available streaming HERE. Fans will also be able to follow along via live stats HERE.

NOTABLY

UNC Asheville leads the Big South and ranks 23rd nationally in turnover margin at +7.25 per game and +29 overall. The Bulldogs have not turned the ball over more than their opponents in any game this season.
The Bulldogs' 38 steals on the season rank second in the Big South – just one shy of Campbell – and 42nd nationally. LJ Thorpe (2.5 steals per game) ranks second in the Big South and 43rd in the country in steals, while Lavar Batts, Jr. is just behind him (2.3 steals per game), ranking sixth in the Big South and 78th nationally.
The Bulldogs have closed out the halves with impressive runs this season, including an 8-2 run at the end of the first and a 12-2 run at the end of the second half at Tennessee. At The Citadel, the Bulldogs finished the first half on a 32-13 run over the final 8:37. The Bulldogs went on a 21-10 run in the final 6:24 to close out the first half against Wake Forest. The Dogs outscored Brevard, 44-18, in the first half.
Redshirt sophomore Tajion Jones is tied for the Big South lead with 10 made three-pointers and his .435 three-point shooting percentage ranks second in the league. With 20-plus point efforts at The Citadel and Wake Forest, Jones joined DeVon Baker as the only other player on the roster with consecutive 20-point games in their careers.
The Bulldogs force their opponents into an average of 21 turnovers per game, which is tied for 15th in the country with Duke and VCU.
The Bulldogs forced Brevard into 31 turnovers, which is the most since they forced Warren Wilson into 36, December 10, 2016. It is the second-highest turnovers forced total in the past 13 seasons.

Bulldogs Host St. Andrews in Thursday Night Action

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Players Mentioned

DeVon Baker

Jamon Battle

Lavar Batts, Jr.

Tajion Jones

LJ Thorpe

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics