University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
17-14 (11-7BSC)
Radford
25-6 (17-1BSC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 7 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 52 |
| Radford | 17 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 59 |
Bulldogs Fall In Big South Semifinals to No. 1 Radford
03.15.2019 | Women's Basketball
RADFORD, Va. – Despite pulling within two points with three minutes left in the game, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team couldn't pull off the upset on No. 1 Radford, as the Bulldogs fell to the Highlanders, 59-52, on Friday night in the Big South Tournament Semifinals.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
The UNC Asheville offense struggled to find points in the opening stanza, as Tiffany Wilson and Jessica Wall were the only two Bulldogs to find the bottom of the net. Wilson had four points, while Wall connected on one 3-pointer. Radford took advantage by racing out to a 10-point lead at the end of the quarter, 17-7.
The Bulldogs outscored the Highlanders by three, 13-10, in the second quarter, but top-seeded Radford still clung on to a lead at the halftime break, 27-20. Asheville used a 6-2 run in the middle of the stanza to help trim the first-half deficit.
Wall had a team-best six points in the first half, as the senior guard netted two 3-pointers in 15 minutes of action. Nadiria Evans added five points, which all came in the second quarter. Sonora Dengokl and Wilson helped the offense with four points each, and Ali Trani had five rebounds in the first half.
The Bulldogs again started to creep back into the game in the third quarter, as Wall connected with a three-pointer at the 1:46 mark to make the deficit just three, 37-34. However, the Highlanders finished the stanza with back-to-back made three-pointers to pull ahead by seven, 43-36.
The Bulldogs didn't give in though, as they held the Highlander offense scoreless for nearly three and a half minutes into the final stanza. UNC Asheville capitalized by posting two made field goals from Wilson and Dengokl to make it a three-point game, 43-40. The two squads battled back-and-forth until the 1:04 mark in the fourth quarter when Radford's Lydia Rivers hit a jump shot to make the game, 55-49.
The Bulldogs called a timeout with 51 seconds, and Zip Scott hit a clutch three-pointer after the timeout to make it just a three-point game, 53-50, with 37 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs were forced to foul, and the Highlanders converted on both free throws to make it a two-score game. Asheville ran the length of the court court and missed on a three-point attempt . The Bulldogs were forced to foul again with 17 seconds. Destinee Walker connected on both free throws to seal the seven-point win, 59-52.
Brooke Jordan-Brown was a force in the second half, as she corralled four boards and netted eight points. She was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Wall contributed a pair of three-pointers, while Dengokl, Evans and Juliet Esadah combined for 14 points in the final 20 minutes of play.
Overall, Wall was the only Bulldog in double digits, as she posted 12 points. She collected all of her points behind the three-point arc.
Three Bulldogs - Dengokl, Jordan-Brown and Evans - each tallied nine points, as they all connected with four field goals apiece.
Jordan-Brown finished the contest as the team's leading rebounder, as she corralled eight boards. Ali Trani was right behind her with six rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Scott finished the game with four assists and four rebounds.
As a team, UNC Asheville out-shot Radford, 40 percent to 37.9 percent, but the Highlanders made more trips to the free throw line (11-6) and out-rebounded Asheville, 40-31.
The Bulldogs were dominant in bench production, as they totaled 22 points. Radford only had seven points off the bench.
What's Next?
UNC Asheville will wait and see if it will receive a postseason invitation. The Bulldogs have played in three straight postseason tournaments, and last year the Bulldogs appeared in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI), which was hosted inside Kimmel Arena.
