University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, December 21
Asheville, NC
2 p.m.
UNC Asheville
6-5,0-0Big Sout
64
vs
68
Chattanooga
8-5,0-1SoCon
1
2
F
Chattanooga
36
32
68
UNC Asheville
31
33
64
Photo by: Mark Godin
Bulldogs’ Rally Comes Up Just Short Against Chattanooga
12.21.2019 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE – Trailing by 14 points in the second half, UNC Asheville's men's basketball team put together a furious rally to tie the game, but eventually fell to Chattanooga, 68-64, Saturday afternoon inside Kimmel Arena.
With the loss, the Bulldogs finished the nonconference portion of the season at 6-5 – still a far cry from their 2-12 nonconference record a season ago. Heading into the game, the Bulldogs ranked as the 13th-youngest team, according to KenPom.
Lavar Batts, Jr. led all scorers with 17 points in the contest on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. DeVon Baker was the spark behind the second-half run, scoring all 13 of his points in the second period. After starting the game 0-of-6, Baker made his final five shots of the game.
Tajion Jones also added 13 points while Coty Jude chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
Donning a new set of black uniforms, the Bulldogs had to put together an impressive comeback to force a nail-biting end to the contest. The Mocs (8-5, 0-1 SoCon) held a 54-40 lead with 11:10 remaining in the game.
Baker would begin to turn it on, making his first bucket of the game with a strong drive to the rim. That layup would jumpstart a 13-0 run for the Bulldogs, with Baker scoring the first six points. After Jones hit a pair of free throws, Batts stole the ball and slammed home a dunk to electrify the crowd. Ten seconds later, Jones got a steal pushing the ball ahead that eventually found its way to Batts for a 3-pointer to narrow the lead to one point and force a timeout from Chattanooga.
With the Mocs holding a 57-55 lead, the teams went more than two minutes without scoring before Baker leveled the game with a jumper in the paint with just under four minutes to go. UTC would push its lead back to three points, but Baker drilled a 3-pointer with just under two minutes to tie the game at 60 apiece.
The Mocs' Matt Ryan proved to be clutch down the stretch, hitting a mid-range jumper with 19 seconds remaining to put UTC up 64-60. Jones buried a quick three on the other end, but Ryan would sink both free throws of a one-and-one, and then two more from the stripe in the waning seconds to ice it away.
NOTABLY
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will take a break for the holidays, then resume play with their Big South opener at Presbyterian, January 2.
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
On what he told the team in the locker room after the game:
"I'm proud of them, and Merry Christmas, and I love them. I'm really proud of the growth they've made. The last four games have been one-possession games and we're 1-3 in those games. You could argue we're a couple stops away from a lot different record, but the growth they've made since the summer is as much growth as I've ever seen in a program or on a team. I'm not a coach to go in there and beat them up after a game where they played their hearts out, and I thought they did that. I thought they fought; they did everything I asked them to do. There were times today we did play like the eighth, ninth youngest team in the country, but I tell you, they don't fight like that. They fight as much as any team I've had the chance to be around. That's what I tell them. Those games are tough, but that's our league. That game today is (like playing in) our league."
On how a game like this prepares the team for the start of Big South Conference play:
"We have to get more stops at the end. We work on playing a six-minute game a lot. Be solid on defense, make your free throws and make for sure you get a shot, meaning you try not to turn the ball over. While we did a good job of that offensively – we only turned it over 10 times today – I didn't feel like we did enough late in terms of those winning plays and getting stops. We probably could've gotten some better looks, but it's hard when we want to push it in transition and today we just didn't finish enough at the rim. Starting five sophomores, you're never too old to learn, and when you're younger, a lot of learning can be done." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
With the loss, the Bulldogs finished the nonconference portion of the season at 6-5 – still a far cry from their 2-12 nonconference record a season ago. Heading into the game, the Bulldogs ranked as the 13th-youngest team, according to KenPom.
Lavar Batts, Jr. led all scorers with 17 points in the contest on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. DeVon Baker was the spark behind the second-half run, scoring all 13 of his points in the second period. After starting the game 0-of-6, Baker made his final five shots of the game.
Tajion Jones also added 13 points while Coty Jude chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.
Donning a new set of black uniforms, the Bulldogs had to put together an impressive comeback to force a nail-biting end to the contest. The Mocs (8-5, 0-1 SoCon) held a 54-40 lead with 11:10 remaining in the game.
Baker would begin to turn it on, making his first bucket of the game with a strong drive to the rim. That layup would jumpstart a 13-0 run for the Bulldogs, with Baker scoring the first six points. After Jones hit a pair of free throws, Batts stole the ball and slammed home a dunk to electrify the crowd. Ten seconds later, Jones got a steal pushing the ball ahead that eventually found its way to Batts for a 3-pointer to narrow the lead to one point and force a timeout from Chattanooga.
With the Mocs holding a 57-55 lead, the teams went more than two minutes without scoring before Baker leveled the game with a jumper in the paint with just under four minutes to go. UTC would push its lead back to three points, but Baker drilled a 3-pointer with just under two minutes to tie the game at 60 apiece.
The Mocs' Matt Ryan proved to be clutch down the stretch, hitting a mid-range jumper with 19 seconds remaining to put UTC up 64-60. Jones buried a quick three on the other end, but Ryan would sink both free throws of a one-and-one, and then two more from the stripe in the waning seconds to ice it away.
NOTABLY
- The Bulldogs did not turn the ball over more than their opponent in any game during the nonconference schedule. They had just 10 turnovers compared to 14 for the Mocs.
- With 11 steals against the Mocs, the Bulldogs forced double-digit steals in seven of their 11 nonconference games.
- With 18 points off turnovers for the Bulldogs compared to six for the Mocs, the Bulldogs scored more points off turnovers in 10 of their 11 nonconference games.
- The Bulldogs also outscored UTC 32-22 in the paint and 16-5 on fast break points.
- With 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, Lavar Batts, Jr. led the team in scoring for the second time this season.
- DeVon Baker tied his career highs with six rebounds and four steals.
- After starting 0-of-6 from the floor to start the game, Baker finished 5-of-5, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half.
- The Bulldogs held the Mocs to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 27.3 percent shooting from three in the second half.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will take a break for the holidays, then resume play with their Big South opener at Presbyterian, January 2.
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
On what he told the team in the locker room after the game:
"I'm proud of them, and Merry Christmas, and I love them. I'm really proud of the growth they've made. The last four games have been one-possession games and we're 1-3 in those games. You could argue we're a couple stops away from a lot different record, but the growth they've made since the summer is as much growth as I've ever seen in a program or on a team. I'm not a coach to go in there and beat them up after a game where they played their hearts out, and I thought they did that. I thought they fought; they did everything I asked them to do. There were times today we did play like the eighth, ninth youngest team in the country, but I tell you, they don't fight like that. They fight as much as any team I've had the chance to be around. That's what I tell them. Those games are tough, but that's our league. That game today is (like playing in) our league."
On how a game like this prepares the team for the start of Big South Conference play:
"We have to get more stops at the end. We work on playing a six-minute game a lot. Be solid on defense, make your free throws and make for sure you get a shot, meaning you try not to turn the ball over. While we did a good job of that offensively – we only turned it over 10 times today – I didn't feel like we did enough late in terms of those winning plays and getting stops. We probably could've gotten some better looks, but it's hard when we want to push it in transition and today we just didn't finish enough at the rim. Starting five sophomores, you're never too old to learn, and when you're younger, a lot of learning can be done." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
Team Stats
UTC
AVL
FG%
.418
.444
3FG%
.455
.444
FT%
.800
.727
RB
37
28
TO
14
10
STL
3
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballHighlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #5 Longwood (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #3 Gardner-Webb (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #7 Charleston Southern (Big South Tournament)
Thursday, March 14
Highlights || Men's Basketball || UNC Asheville at Radford
Monday, March 04