Bulldogs Head to Charleston for Matchup with The Citadel

GAME NOTES | at THE CITADEL

CHARLESTON, S.C. – UNC Asheville's men's basketball team continues its three-game road trip to open the season when it travels to Charleston for a noon, Saturday matchup against The Citadel at McAlister Field House.

The Bulldogs (0-1) are coming off a strong effort to open the season at Tennessee, Tuesday night, in a 78-63 contest won by the Volunteers. The Bulldogs closed out each half with a scoring run, including 8-2 to end the first and 12-2 to close out the game.

Redshirt sophomore LJ Thorpe led all scorers in the game with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting for his second-career 20-point outing. He finished just two points off his career-high of 24, set last season against Charleston Southern, February 9, 2019.

Redshirt sophomore Lavar Batts, Jr. had an impactful Bulldog debut, finishing second on the team with 11 points, while recording five steals and a highlight-level block.

UNC Asheville and The Citadel have met on three previous occasions, but have not squared off in more than 30 years. Saturday's game will serve as the season opener for The Citadel.

The game will be available on ESPN3 HERE, and fans can also follow along with the action via live stats HERE. Additionally, McAlister Field House has a CLEAR BAG POLICY, so any fans traveling to the game are asked to keep this in mind.

Notably

UNC Asheville and The Citadel met for three straight seasons during the late 1980s, but the two teams have not met since December 1, 1988, a game The Citadel won, 93-77. The Citadel leads the series 2-1, and the home team has won every matchup in the series. The Bulldogs were one of the youngest teams in the country last season, as eight freshmen combined for 109 starts and 4,764 minutes. This season, 83.6 percent of last year's minutes return, including all eight freshmen returning for their second seasons.
Redshirt sophomores Lavar Batts, Jr. and LJ Thorpe each recorded five steals against Tennessee, November 5. They became the first Bulldog players with five or more assists in a game since Ahmad Thomas had five against Longwood, January 9, 2018.
An area head coach Mike Morrell wanted to see improvement heading into the season is the team's ability to play faster. It certainly showed on the defensive end at Tennessee, as the Bulldogs forced the Volunteers into 17 turnovers, including 13 via steals. It was the first time the Bulldogs recorded at least 13 steals in a game since they had 15 against Lees-McRae, November 11, 2017.
UNC Asheville's trip to Charleston to take on The Citadel will be the first of two trips the Bulldogs take to the Charleston area during the 2019-20 season. They will make a return visit, January 11, to take on Charleston Southern in Big South Conference play.
Sophomore guard DeVon Baker earned recognition as one of the top five players in the Big South entering the 2019-20 season in a vote of league coaches and media members. Among returning players in the conference, Baker ranks second in points per game (16.1) and free throw percentage (.817), third in minutes per game (33.9) and fifth in assists per game (3.0) and steals per game (1.5).
The Bulldogs were one of the youngest teams in the country last season, as eight freshmen combined for 109 starts and 4,764 minutes. This season, 83.6 percent of last year's minutes return, including all eight freshmen returning for their second seasons.

Bulldogs Head to Charleston for Matchup with The Citadel

Next Event

Players Mentioned

DeVon Baker

Lavar Batts, Jr.

LJ Thorpe

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics