University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
4-4,3-0Big South
Longwood
1-8,0-3Big South
Thorpe’s second half leads Asheville over Longwood
12.30.2020 | Men's Basketball
Bulldogs down Lancers 80-73
FARMVILLE, Va. – Trailing 54-51 with just under 10 minutes to play, LJ Thorpe erupted for 18 second-half points as the UNC Asheville men's basketball team topped Longwood 80-73 on Wednesday afternoon.
"We just put the ball in his hands a lot late," Asheville head coach Mike Morrell said of Thorpe. "He just had it going. I was really proud of him because he didn't try to do too much. He really shared the ball early, and late he was able to get to the basket. I thought he guarded better today too, and when he does that it helps him on both ends."
Tajion Jones led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, going 5-for-10 from 3-point range, marking the seventh-straight game with three or more 3-pointers this season. In addition to his 18 points down the stretch, Thorpe dished out five assists and had four rebounds, while Evan Clayborne nearly notched a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine boards. Meanwhile, classmate Lavar Batts, Jr. almost had a double-double of his own, scoring nine points and handing out a career-high eight assists, while Asheville combined for 16 as a unit.
"He was looking for his teammates," Morrell said of Batts. "He was just in attack mode. He was able to stay out of foul trouble and just really did a good job of taking what the game gave him and not trying to do too much. He really led the charge of spraying the ball around and finding his teammates."
The Bulldogs, who shot 50 percent from the field, totaled 40 points in the paint, with nine of 10 players scoring in the win. Longwood got 34 points from its bench, led by Christian Wilson's 15 point, five rebound effort as a reserve. Overall, DeShaun Wade led Longwood with 19 points, but were held to just five 3-pointers by the Asheville defense.
With the win, Asheville evens its record for the season (4-4), moving to 3-0 in Big South play, marking the best start for the Bulldogs in conference since 2015-16. Longwood now drops to 1-8 on the year, falling to 0-3 in the Big South.
Clayborne got things started with a pair of buckets to open the game before Longwood answered with nine points of its own. The Lancers kept the Bulldogs at bay, extending its lead to 13 points after a jumper from Juan Munoz. Asheville worked its way back, getting a pair of 3-pointers and free throws by Jones to cut the deficit to five. The three ball continued to fall for the Bulldogs, as Trent Stephney and Batts each connected from downtown, before Jones hit a mid-range that made the score 36-35 in favor of Asheville at the half.
"We didn't do a good job of limiting Longwood to one shot early," Morrell said. "We were able to cut down on the offensive rebounds so I was really proud of the guys and their response to battle back after being down double digits."
Clayborne opened the second by scoring inside, but Longwood rallied to take a 45-44 lead with 13:45 to play in the second. The Lancers looked to remain in control, extending its lead to seven after a Justin Hill jumper just before the under-12 media timeout (51-44).
After Jones knotted the game up at 51 apiece, it was the LJ Thorpe show, as the redshirt junior scored 11-straight points to five Asheville a 62-58 lead with 6:55 left in the second half. Luke Lawson, Batts and Jones all found the bottom of the net, setting up a 3-point play by Thorpe to push the Bulldog advantage to 10. The closest Longwood got was seven from this point, as Thorpe iced the game with a pair of free throws to give Asheville the 80-73 victory.
What's Next
Asheville and Longwood waste no time returning to the court, tipping off the series finale on Thursday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on WVHL 92.9.
"These back-to-back games are tough because there are no secrets tomorrow," Morrell said. "Coach Aldrich does a great job. Their guys played well today, and I expect them to do the same tomorrow."
Today's Takeaways
- Thorpe ties season-high of 18 points, all in second half
- Batts hands out career-high eight assists (7, vs. Charleston Southern 2/1/520) while adding nine points
- Jones leads the Bulldogs in points for the fifth time this season, knocking down five or more 3-pointers for the third time in seven games
