University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Tuesday, December 17
Asheville, NC
6 p.m.
UNC Asheville
6-4,0-0Big Sout
78
vs
76
Stetson
5-8,0-0ASUN
1
2
F
Stetson
33
43
76
UNC Asheville
32
46
78
Photo by: Mark Godin
Bulldogs Hold Off Hatters for Fourth Straight Home Victory
12.17.2019 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE – Redshirt sophomore Tajion Jones made key baskets down the stretch as UNC Asheville's men's basketball team earned a 78-76 victory against Stetson, Tuesday night, at Kimmel Arena.
As the clock ticked under a minute to play in the game with UNC Asheville (6-4) leading 71-65, a jump shot by DeVon Baker came off the rim. Jones used a strong box out to collect the rebound and lay the ball in to push the home team's lead to eight points with 0:53 remaining.
After Stetson (5-8) came down the floor and cut the lead back down to six, Jones took the long inbounds pass on the ensuing possession, drove hard down the right baseline and laid in to push the lead back to eight, 75-67, with 0:33 left on the clock.
Stetson would whittle the lead down to the final margin with a half-court heave as time expired, but two critical baskets by Jones down the stretch helped ensure the Dogs victory.
Jones finished the night with 21 points to lead the team, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from three. He scored 20-plus for the second straight game, and the fifth time this season.
He was joined in the scoring effort by his fellow starters, as the entire starting five scored in double-digits for the third time this season. Baker and Lavar Batts, Jr. each had 14 points, while Coty Jude added 13 and LJ Thorpe chipped in 11.
After a close back-and-forth affair through the first seven minutes, Asheville started to create a little bit of distance, using an 8-0 run to go up 19-10 with 11:24 remaining in the first half. A 3-pointer by Jones at the 8:27 mark gave the Bulldogs a 13-point lead, 25-12.
But Stetson would buckle down, and its zone defense began to cause issues for the Asheville offense. The Hatters closed out strong, and took a 33-32 lead into halftime. Jude led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the first half while Jones had nine.
Batts struggled with foul trouble in the first half, missing his only shot in 5:33 of floor time, but he came out a man possessed in the second half, and was the catalyst for the Bulldogs retaking control of the game. He scored all 14 of his points in the second frame to lead the Dogs.
With Stetson leading by two at the 16-minute mark, Batts buried a three to give the Bulldogs the lead. Two possessions later, he stole the ball in the backcourt and hit Jude for an easy layup. With the game tied at 59 apiece at the seven-minute mark, Batts aggressively drove the lane, hit a circus layup while drawing contact, and sunk his free throw, giving the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.
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NOTABLY
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap up their three-game home stand and their nonconference schedule when they host Chattanooga in a 2 p.m., Saturday, contest that will serve as the team's "Blackout" game.
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FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"It was not pretty, but I thought our guys needed to win one like that, especially after last week at South Carolina State when we weren't our best, but just needed to find a stop to win the game and couldn't do it. At Western Carolina, again, just needing a stop and couldn't find a way to do it. I was proud of our guys for finding a way to win. We've obviously made a big deal of trying to protect our home court. We made just enough plays in the second half.
"I was really proud of Lavar (Batts, Jr.) because he was very frustrated in the first half. I really challenged him at halftime to take a deep breath and then let it rip in the second half, which is what our program is all about, and let the chips fall where they may. I thought in the second half, he really got us aggressive versus the zone (defense). He got into the teeth of it. You have to give Stetson a ton of credit. They played two days ago and they played 90 percent man, and they come here today and play 99.9 percent zone, and I thought they had a great game plan. I thought their kids played really hard.
"We never take for granted the winning feeling; we're not entitled to anything. The turnover margin won us the game tonight: we were plus-14 in the turnover column. I think that's the first time coaching in Division I basketball for 14 years that they shot 64 percent and we found a way to win. Honestly right now I don't know what to think about that, but I'm proud of the guys for finding a way to win." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
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As the clock ticked under a minute to play in the game with UNC Asheville (6-4) leading 71-65, a jump shot by DeVon Baker came off the rim. Jones used a strong box out to collect the rebound and lay the ball in to push the home team's lead to eight points with 0:53 remaining.
After Stetson (5-8) came down the floor and cut the lead back down to six, Jones took the long inbounds pass on the ensuing possession, drove hard down the right baseline and laid in to push the lead back to eight, 75-67, with 0:33 left on the clock.
Stetson would whittle the lead down to the final margin with a half-court heave as time expired, but two critical baskets by Jones down the stretch helped ensure the Dogs victory.
Jones finished the night with 21 points to lead the team, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from three. He scored 20-plus for the second straight game, and the fifth time this season.
He was joined in the scoring effort by his fellow starters, as the entire starting five scored in double-digits for the third time this season. Baker and Lavar Batts, Jr. each had 14 points, while Coty Jude added 13 and LJ Thorpe chipped in 11.
After a close back-and-forth affair through the first seven minutes, Asheville started to create a little bit of distance, using an 8-0 run to go up 19-10 with 11:24 remaining in the first half. A 3-pointer by Jones at the 8:27 mark gave the Bulldogs a 13-point lead, 25-12.
But Stetson would buckle down, and its zone defense began to cause issues for the Asheville offense. The Hatters closed out strong, and took a 33-32 lead into halftime. Jude led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the first half while Jones had nine.
Batts struggled with foul trouble in the first half, missing his only shot in 5:33 of floor time, but he came out a man possessed in the second half, and was the catalyst for the Bulldogs retaking control of the game. He scored all 14 of his points in the second frame to lead the Dogs.
With Stetson leading by two at the 16-minute mark, Batts buried a three to give the Bulldogs the lead. Two possessions later, he stole the ball in the backcourt and hit Jude for an easy layup. With the game tied at 59 apiece at the seven-minute mark, Batts aggressively drove the lane, hit a circus layup while drawing contact, and sunk his free throw, giving the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.
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NOTABLY
- With the victory, the Bulldogs are now 4-0 at home this season.
- For the third time this season, all five starters scored in double figures (Tajion Jones, 21; Lavar Batts, Jr., 14; DeVon Baker, 14; Coty Jude, 13; LJ Thorpe, 11). The Bulldogs are 3-0 in those games.
- Tajion Jones led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
- It is the fifth 20-point game for Jones this season, and the second time this year he has had back-to-back 20-point efforts after scoring 21 against UT Martin, last Saturday.
- The Bulldogs forced the Hatters into 22 turnovers, marking the sixth time in the past seven games they have forced their opponent into at least 20 turnovers.
- On the flip side, the Bulldogs turned it over just eight times themselves, marking three straight home games they have turned it over fewer than 10 times.
- On the season, the Bulldogs have not turned the ball over more than their opponent in any game.
- For the first time this season, the Bulldogs won a game after trailing at the half (trailed 33-32).
- DeVon Baker recorded a season-high six assists in the game.
- Jax Levitch led the team with seven rebounds, marking the fourth time this season he has been the leading rebounder for the Bulldogs.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap up their three-game home stand and their nonconference schedule when they host Chattanooga in a 2 p.m., Saturday, contest that will serve as the team's "Blackout" game.
Â
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"It was not pretty, but I thought our guys needed to win one like that, especially after last week at South Carolina State when we weren't our best, but just needed to find a stop to win the game and couldn't do it. At Western Carolina, again, just needing a stop and couldn't find a way to do it. I was proud of our guys for finding a way to win. We've obviously made a big deal of trying to protect our home court. We made just enough plays in the second half.
"I was really proud of Lavar (Batts, Jr.) because he was very frustrated in the first half. I really challenged him at halftime to take a deep breath and then let it rip in the second half, which is what our program is all about, and let the chips fall where they may. I thought in the second half, he really got us aggressive versus the zone (defense). He got into the teeth of it. You have to give Stetson a ton of credit. They played two days ago and they played 90 percent man, and they come here today and play 99.9 percent zone, and I thought they had a great game plan. I thought their kids played really hard.
"We never take for granted the winning feeling; we're not entitled to anything. The turnover margin won us the game tonight: we were plus-14 in the turnover column. I think that's the first time coaching in Division I basketball for 14 years that they shot 64 percent and we found a way to win. Honestly right now I don't know what to think about that, but I'm proud of the guys for finding a way to win." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
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Team Stats
STET
AVL
FG%
.622
.433
3FG%
.385
.333
FT%
.517
.577
RB
39
26
TO
22
8
STL
4
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
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