University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Sunday, December 13
Asheville, N.C.
1:00 p.m.
UNC Asheville
3-2,2-0Big South
90
vs
84
High Point
1-4,0-2Big South
1
2
OT 1
F
High Point
35
38
11
84
UNC Asheville
31
42
17
90
Thorpe scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half
Asheville rallies, holds off High Point in overtime
12.13.2020 | Men's Basketball
Bulldogs win 90-84 to take season series
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Trailing by four points at the break, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team bounced back in the second half, ultimately edging out High Point 90-84 in overtime at Kimmel Arena Sunday afternoon.
Tajion Jones led the way with 19 points for the Bulldogs, while LJ Thorpe totaled 18 points and six rebounds. Coty Jude collected all 14 of his points in the second half in overtime, including three 3-pointers and five free throws to help close out the game. Lavar Batts, Jr. was also crucial for the Bulldogs in the win, scoring nine of his 11 points and dishing out three assists after the first 20 minutes of the game. The Asheville bench, which was outscored 14-2 in the first half, flipped the script and paced the High Point reserves 28-16 in the last 25 minutes of play. The Bulldogs shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range (12-28), holding High Point to just 5-of-16 from behind the arc.
Asheville, who had five players score in double figures, improves its season record to 3-2, starting off 2-0 in Big South play. High Point, meanwhile, drops to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
"We couldn't have done any better from a result standpoint," Morrell said of the 2-0 Big South Start. "For us that's all that matters. Winning feels good and I think those guys are starting to understand that when we win together it's special."
It was the LJ Thorpe show early, scoring the first six points of the game with a pair of buckets and free throws. After Jones made the score 9-2, the Panthers went on a 13-0 run to take a 15-9 lead before Batts converted in traffic to end the cold spell. Trent Stephney, who dished out six assists in the win, knocked down a 3-pointer and fed Jamon Battle as the Bulldogs pulled to within two.
"I thought Trent (Stephney) really controlled the game," Morrell said. "We actually moved him off the ball for a little bit and let Lavar (Batts, Jr.) play on it and attack. I thought Lavar gathered himself in the middle of the game and really helped us win."
High Point stretched its lead to nine, but Asheville climbed back, as 3-pointers from Thorpe and Jones made the score 28-26 in favor of the Panthers with just over three minutes to play. Thorpe continued to be locked in, knotting the game up at 31-31, before the Panthers scored the last four points of the half to take a 35-31 lead into the break.
Asheville came out on fire in the second, outscoring High Point 12-5 to grab its first lead since early in the game and force a Panther timeout at the 16:50 mark. With Jude battling foul trouble, Silas Mason got into the mix, scoring a pair of tough buckets in the paint as the Bulldogs jumped in front 52-47 with just over 12 minutes to play.
"I didn't feel like we were taking advantage of the opportunity (to play) in the first half, but I thought High Point had a lot to do with that," said head coach Mike Morrell. "I thought they were the aggressors in the first half. I thought our approach in the second half was we just want to win. When you have that selfless approach, it allows you to be able to make winning plays."
Jude came alive down the stretch, knocking down two deep 3-pointers to put the Bulldogs ahead by six. Led by John-Michael Wright (22 points), the Panthers tied the game up at 73-73, forcing overtime after each team missed a chance in the waning seconds of regulation.
Jude picked up where he left off to start overtime, knocking down a 3-pointer and drawing a foul while shooting another three, putting Asheville in front 79-75. Thorpe, Jones and Jude continued to pad the lead with threes, with a Jones trey and Batts, Jr. layup helping seal the deal.
"We got our better free throw shooters to the line, so that's part of it," Morrell said of Asheville's ability to hit free throws at the end of the game. "And Coty was just Coty. Never too high, never too low. That allows you to not have a great day and, really he was the biggest key down the stretch."
WHAT'S NEXT
Asheville hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Chattanooga to face the Mocs at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+.
TODAY'S TAKEAWAYS
Tajion Jones led the way with 19 points for the Bulldogs, while LJ Thorpe totaled 18 points and six rebounds. Coty Jude collected all 14 of his points in the second half in overtime, including three 3-pointers and five free throws to help close out the game. Lavar Batts, Jr. was also crucial for the Bulldogs in the win, scoring nine of his 11 points and dishing out three assists after the first 20 minutes of the game. The Asheville bench, which was outscored 14-2 in the first half, flipped the script and paced the High Point reserves 28-16 in the last 25 minutes of play. The Bulldogs shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range (12-28), holding High Point to just 5-of-16 from behind the arc.
Asheville, who had five players score in double figures, improves its season record to 3-2, starting off 2-0 in Big South play. High Point, meanwhile, drops to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
"We couldn't have done any better from a result standpoint," Morrell said of the 2-0 Big South Start. "For us that's all that matters. Winning feels good and I think those guys are starting to understand that when we win together it's special."
It was the LJ Thorpe show early, scoring the first six points of the game with a pair of buckets and free throws. After Jones made the score 9-2, the Panthers went on a 13-0 run to take a 15-9 lead before Batts converted in traffic to end the cold spell. Trent Stephney, who dished out six assists in the win, knocked down a 3-pointer and fed Jamon Battle as the Bulldogs pulled to within two.
"I thought Trent (Stephney) really controlled the game," Morrell said. "We actually moved him off the ball for a little bit and let Lavar (Batts, Jr.) play on it and attack. I thought Lavar gathered himself in the middle of the game and really helped us win."
High Point stretched its lead to nine, but Asheville climbed back, as 3-pointers from Thorpe and Jones made the score 28-26 in favor of the Panthers with just over three minutes to play. Thorpe continued to be locked in, knotting the game up at 31-31, before the Panthers scored the last four points of the half to take a 35-31 lead into the break.
Asheville came out on fire in the second, outscoring High Point 12-5 to grab its first lead since early in the game and force a Panther timeout at the 16:50 mark. With Jude battling foul trouble, Silas Mason got into the mix, scoring a pair of tough buckets in the paint as the Bulldogs jumped in front 52-47 with just over 12 minutes to play.
"I didn't feel like we were taking advantage of the opportunity (to play) in the first half, but I thought High Point had a lot to do with that," said head coach Mike Morrell. "I thought they were the aggressors in the first half. I thought our approach in the second half was we just want to win. When you have that selfless approach, it allows you to be able to make winning plays."
Jude came alive down the stretch, knocking down two deep 3-pointers to put the Bulldogs ahead by six. Led by John-Michael Wright (22 points), the Panthers tied the game up at 73-73, forcing overtime after each team missed a chance in the waning seconds of regulation.
Jude picked up where he left off to start overtime, knocking down a 3-pointer and drawing a foul while shooting another three, putting Asheville in front 79-75. Thorpe, Jones and Jude continued to pad the lead with threes, with a Jones trey and Batts, Jr. layup helping seal the deal.
"We got our better free throw shooters to the line, so that's part of it," Morrell said of Asheville's ability to hit free throws at the end of the game. "And Coty was just Coty. Never too high, never too low. That allows you to not have a great day and, really he was the biggest key down the stretch."
WHAT'S NEXT
Asheville hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Chattanooga to face the Mocs at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+.
TODAY'S TAKEAWAYS
- Asheville has five players score in double figures for the second time this season (11/27 vs. UNCW)
- Bulldogs totaled 20 assists, with Thorpe and Stephney each handing out six
- Asheville opens up Big South play 2-0
Team Stats
HP
UNC-A
FG%
.456
.545
3FG%
.313
.429
FT%
.708
.692
RB
35
33
TO
14
17
STL
8
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
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