University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, January 16
Asheville, NC
6 p.m.
UNC Asheville
7-8,1-3Big Sout
66
vs
68
High Point
4-13,1-3Big Sou
1
2
F
High Point
35
33
68
UNC Asheville
28
38
66
Photo by: Mark Godin
Bulldogs Fall to High Point in Big South Conference Action
01.16.2020 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball team outscored High Point by five points in the second half, but fell by a two-point margin, 68-66, Thursday night inside Kimmel Arena.
After trailing by seven at halftime, 35-28, the Bulldogs (7-8, 1-3 Big South) made a run early in the second half to eventually tie the game at 40 apiece.
The Panthers (4-13, 1-3 Big South) bumped the led up to 10 with a made three on their first possession of the second half and led by nine, 40-31, with 17:54 left in the game. A basket in the paint by Lavar Batts, Jr. would jumpstart a 9-0 Bulldogs' run. Batts finished the game with 15 points and added career-highs with seven rebounds and six assists.
On Asheville's next possession, Batts found Coty Jude for one of his season-high five 3-pointers to cut the deficit to four. Jude finished with a team-high and season-high 16 points.
Two possessions later, Batts drove the lane and drew two free throws, which he sank, and on the next possession, Tajion Jones hit a jumper in the paint to draw the score even. Jones finished the game with 12 points, while LJ Thorpe also scored in double-figures with 13.
High Point would then answer with a 9-0 run of its own, and the Bulldogs were forced to play catch up the rest of the way. Trailing by nine with just 0:58 left, Jude hit a three and followed that up with a steal. Batts hit Jones for a layup to cut the margin to four with 0:28 left.
After the Panthers hit two free throws, Batts hit a bucket in the paint to narrow the score to 64-60, and DeVon Baker followed with a steal in the backcourt. He threw a cross-court pass to Jones who put up an open 3-pointer from the corner, but it hit agonizingly off the rim.
The Panthers hit two more free throws, and Jude followed with his fifth three to make the score 66-63, but the Dogs were unable to force a turnover and had to foul with just two second left. HPU hit its final two foul shots and Batts hit a near half-court shot as time expired for the final margin.
High Point led by as many as 11 points in the first half, 31-20, at the 4:27 mark, and led by 10 with two minutes to go before halftime. Jude hit his first 3-pointer of the game on the ensuing possession and Thorpe cut the lead to five with bucket in the paint, but the Panthers answered to give the visitors the seven-point margin at the break.
Baker led the Bulldogs with seven points in the first half, while Jones and Thorpe each had six.
NOTABLY
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs have a short reprieve before returning to action in Kimmel Arena against Hampton with a 2 p.m. tipoff, Saturday, January 18.
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"It was a tough night for us. We never really got it going except for that one little stretch early in the second half. I did a bad job with our group tonight helping them respond. We made a run and tied it at 40. I was really proud of our guys for fighting back there coming out of halftime, getting some stops, making them miss. We got a couple turnovers. Then we had a free throw violation and that kind of gets them on a 9-0 run – we have to call a timeout. You have to give High Point credit. I thought they did a phenomenal job, they played harder than us, more effort, kicked our tails on the glass. That's probably a season low for us in terms of offensive rebounding. We tried to prepare the guys for that – (HPU is) probably the most physical team in our league. We have to better at home – that's three in a row we've lost at home, and I have to be better for these guys. I'm disappointed and everyone is disappointed as our team's been and I've been all year in just our execution. These guys' effort, they're always really trying. I think that's part of our maturation process, just understanding what it takes every game to win in our league." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
After trailing by seven at halftime, 35-28, the Bulldogs (7-8, 1-3 Big South) made a run early in the second half to eventually tie the game at 40 apiece.
The Panthers (4-13, 1-3 Big South) bumped the led up to 10 with a made three on their first possession of the second half and led by nine, 40-31, with 17:54 left in the game. A basket in the paint by Lavar Batts, Jr. would jumpstart a 9-0 Bulldogs' run. Batts finished the game with 15 points and added career-highs with seven rebounds and six assists.
On Asheville's next possession, Batts found Coty Jude for one of his season-high five 3-pointers to cut the deficit to four. Jude finished with a team-high and season-high 16 points.
Two possessions later, Batts drove the lane and drew two free throws, which he sank, and on the next possession, Tajion Jones hit a jumper in the paint to draw the score even. Jones finished the game with 12 points, while LJ Thorpe also scored in double-figures with 13.
High Point would then answer with a 9-0 run of its own, and the Bulldogs were forced to play catch up the rest of the way. Trailing by nine with just 0:58 left, Jude hit a three and followed that up with a steal. Batts hit Jones for a layup to cut the margin to four with 0:28 left.
After the Panthers hit two free throws, Batts hit a bucket in the paint to narrow the score to 64-60, and DeVon Baker followed with a steal in the backcourt. He threw a cross-court pass to Jones who put up an open 3-pointer from the corner, but it hit agonizingly off the rim.
The Panthers hit two more free throws, and Jude followed with his fifth three to make the score 66-63, but the Dogs were unable to force a turnover and had to foul with just two second left. HPU hit its final two foul shots and Batts hit a near half-court shot as time expired for the final margin.
High Point led by as many as 11 points in the first half, 31-20, at the 4:27 mark, and led by 10 with two minutes to go before halftime. Jude hit his first 3-pointer of the game on the ensuing possession and Thorpe cut the lead to five with bucket in the paint, but the Panthers answered to give the visitors the seven-point margin at the break.
Baker led the Bulldogs with seven points in the first half, while Jones and Thorpe each had six.
NOTABLY
- The Bulldogs forced High Point into 19 turnovers while only turning it over eight times themselves. The Bulldogs have not turned the ball over more than their opponent in any game this season and had fewer turnovers than their opponents in 14 of 15 games, including 13 straight.
- With just eight turnovers, the Bulldogs have recorded fewer than 10 turnovers for the fifth time this season and the second game in a row. They are 4-1 in those games.
- Lavar Batts, Jr. set career-highs in rebounds with seven and assists with six. He passed his previous best of six rebounds, which he set at South Carolina State, December 11, and eclipsed his previous high of four assists, which he registered against St. Andrews, November 21.
- Coty Jude finished with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting – all from three – and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. It is the first time this season he's led the team in scoring and the fifth time in his career he's done so.
- The five made 3-pointers represent a season-high for Jude. His previous high this season was four makes from beyond the arc which he set at Charlotte, December 3. His 16 points tied his season high, which he also set at Charlotte.
- Tajion Jones finished with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Since being held scoreless in the season opener against Tennessee, Jones has not scored fewer than 12 points in any game and has scored in double digits in 14 straight contests.
- The Bulldogs led in points off turnovers, 15-9, points in the point, 30-24 and fast-break points, 14-13.
- All four Big South Conference games the Bulldogs have competed in have been decided by two points.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs have a short reprieve before returning to action in Kimmel Arena against Hampton with a 2 p.m. tipoff, Saturday, January 18.
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"It was a tough night for us. We never really got it going except for that one little stretch early in the second half. I did a bad job with our group tonight helping them respond. We made a run and tied it at 40. I was really proud of our guys for fighting back there coming out of halftime, getting some stops, making them miss. We got a couple turnovers. Then we had a free throw violation and that kind of gets them on a 9-0 run – we have to call a timeout. You have to give High Point credit. I thought they did a phenomenal job, they played harder than us, more effort, kicked our tails on the glass. That's probably a season low for us in terms of offensive rebounding. We tried to prepare the guys for that – (HPU is) probably the most physical team in our league. We have to better at home – that's three in a row we've lost at home, and I have to be better for these guys. I'm disappointed and everyone is disappointed as our team's been and I've been all year in just our execution. These guys' effort, they're always really trying. I think that's part of our maturation process, just understanding what it takes every game to win in our league." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
Team Stats
HPU
AVL
FG%
.379
.455
3FG%
.286
.375
FT%
.889
.438
RB
50
24
TO
19
8
STL
2
9
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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