University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, January 23
Asheville, NC
6 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
Radford
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldogs Return to Kimmel Arena to Take On Radford
01.21.2020 | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES | vs RADFORD
ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball returns home to face off against Radford in Big South Conference action set for 6 p.m., Thursday, January 23, inside Kimmel Arena.
The UNC Asheville coaching staff will continue to wear suits and sneakers, as well as lapel pins, in support of Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches that empowers coaches and communities to join the fight against cancer.
The Bulldogs (8-9, 2-4) are coming off their second road victory in conference play after defeating Longwood, 71-66, in a down-to-the-wire thriller Monday night in Farmville. DeVon Baker led the team with 19 points on the night, including 14 points in the second half in which he hit 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Highlanders (10-8, 5-1 Big South) are coming off of an undefeated conference showdown with Winthrop, Monday night. Though Radford held Winthrop 20 points below its season average, the Highlanders fell, 61-56, for their first loss in conference. They have four wins away from home this season, three of which have come in Big South competition.
Radford holds a razor-thin margin, 37-36, in the all-time series that dates back to the 1986 Big South Tournament, a game the Bulldogs won 64-62. The Highlanders won last season's lone matchup, 71-63, inside Kimmel Arena. Baker had 26 points in the game and helped the Bulldogs cut a 15-point deficit to five late in the game. Luke Lawson chipped in 14 points in the contest to join Baker in double figures. The Bulldogs last defeated the Highlanders, 66-64, inside Kimmel Arena, February 10, 2018.
Thursday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ HERE with Matt Stradley and Bulldog legend John Williams on the call. Brian Hall and Mike Gore will have the radio call on News Radio 570 AM, which can also be found streaming HERE. Live stats will also be available HERE.
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NOTABLY
BY THE NUMBERS
ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball returns home to face off against Radford in Big South Conference action set for 6 p.m., Thursday, January 23, inside Kimmel Arena.
The UNC Asheville coaching staff will continue to wear suits and sneakers, as well as lapel pins, in support of Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches that empowers coaches and communities to join the fight against cancer.
The Bulldogs (8-9, 2-4) are coming off their second road victory in conference play after defeating Longwood, 71-66, in a down-to-the-wire thriller Monday night in Farmville. DeVon Baker led the team with 19 points on the night, including 14 points in the second half in which he hit 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Highlanders (10-8, 5-1 Big South) are coming off of an undefeated conference showdown with Winthrop, Monday night. Though Radford held Winthrop 20 points below its season average, the Highlanders fell, 61-56, for their first loss in conference. They have four wins away from home this season, three of which have come in Big South competition.
Radford holds a razor-thin margin, 37-36, in the all-time series that dates back to the 1986 Big South Tournament, a game the Bulldogs won 64-62. The Highlanders won last season's lone matchup, 71-63, inside Kimmel Arena. Baker had 26 points in the game and helped the Bulldogs cut a 15-point deficit to five late in the game. Luke Lawson chipped in 14 points in the contest to join Baker in double figures. The Bulldogs last defeated the Highlanders, 66-64, inside Kimmel Arena, February 10, 2018.
Thursday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ HERE with Matt Stradley and Bulldog legend John Williams on the call. Brian Hall and Mike Gore will have the radio call on News Radio 570 AM, which can also be found streaming HERE. Live stats will also be available HERE.
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NOTABLY
- The Bulldogs rank third in the country in turnover margin at plus-7.2 per game, and they rank 26th in the country in fewest total turnovers. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in only one game this season.
- The Bulldogs force their opponents into 19.1 turnovers per game, which ranks sixth in the country. They also average 9.5 steals per game, ranking 12th in the nation. Lavar Batts, Jr. is second in the Big South and 41st in the NCAA, averaging 2.1 steals per game, while DeVon Baker (1.8 spg), LJ Thorpe (1.6 spg) and Trent Stephney (1.6 spg) all rank in the Top 10 in the conference.
- Four Bulldogs rank inside the Top 16 in scoring in the Big South Conference (DeVon Baker – 5th, 15.9; Tajion Jones – 6th, 15.8; Lavar Batts, Jr. – 12th, 13.2; LJ Thorpe – 16th, 12.7). No other team has more than two in the Top 16.
- The Dogs rank first in the Big South and 56th nationally, hitting 36.1 percent from three, and they are second in the conference and 39th nationally with 9.2 makes per game from beyond the arc. Coty Jude and Tajion Jones rank second and third, respectively, in the conference in 3-point makes per game at 2.4. Against St. Andrews, the Bulldogs drained a program-record 19 3-pointers.
- According to KenPom, the Bulldogs rank 10th in the country in turnover percentage defense, forcing opponents into turnovers on nearly a quarter of their possessions, with 24.8 percent of opponents' possessions ending in a turnover.
- The Bulldogs are averaging 78.1 points per game, ranking 37th in the country and second in the Big South. The Bulldogs finished the 2018-19 campaign ranked 349th nationally in scoring, averaging 59.9 points per game. The team is averaging 18.2 more points per game than it did last season.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 1 – The Bulldogs have used just one starting lineup all season, and all five starters average double-digits scoring. Asheville is one of three teams in Division I to only use one starting lineup (Buffalo, Miami).
- 7.2 – LJ Thorpe leads the Bulldogs in rebounding, and has secured 7.2 rebounds per game during conference play. He pulled down 10 against Charleston Southern and has had nine boards in each of the last two games.
- 8 – With Monday night's victory at Longwood, the Bulldogs picked up their eighth win of the season, doubling their win total from a season ago.
- 8 – Despite returning 83.6 percent of its minutes from a season ago, UNC Asheville still possesses one of the 10 youngest rosters in the country, ranking as the eighth-youngest team, according to KenPom.
- 21 – With 21 points against Hampton, Tajion Jones recorded his seventh 20-plus-point game of the season. He has scored exactly 21 points in five games this season.
Players Mentioned
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