University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 15
Asheville, NC
4:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
Charleston Southern
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldogs Host Rematch with Charleston Southern on Senior Day
02.14.2020 | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES | vs CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball will aim to win its third-consecutive home game when it hosts Charleston Southern in a Bulldog Basketball doubleheader, Saturday at Kimmel Arena. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m., and will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game against Winthrop at 2 p.m.
Both games are presented by TD Bank, and the doubleheader will serve as Pride Day, with the Asheville Gay Men's Chorus slated to sing the National Anthem prior to the women's game.
Saturday's contest will also serve as Senior Day for forward Jeremy Peck, who will be graduating in May. He will be honored prior to tipoff of the game.
The Bulldogs (11-13, 5-8 Big South) are coming off of a thrilling 73-71 victory against Longwood at home, Thursday night. As a team, they shot a season-best 59.6 percent from the floor and a season-high 55 percent from the 3-point line. It was the sixth game in conference play this season for the Bulldogs that had been decided by exactly two points.
The Buccaneers (13-13, 7-7) enter the matchup after winning a close game of their own, Thursday night, taking down High Point, 66-63. Charleston Southern is 5-8 on the road this season, including a 3-3 record in Big South Conference play.
This will be the 85th all-time meeting between Asheville and Charleston Southern in a series that dates back to the 1988-89 season. The teams faced off earlier this season, with the Bulldogs scratching out a 71-69 victory in Charleston, January 11. LJ Thorpe finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and scored the decisive bucket with nine seconds remaining.
Saturday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Kyle Rush and Bulldog Basketball legend John Williams on the call HERE. 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 will aim to win its third-consecutive home game when it hosts Charleston Southern in a Bulldog Basketball doubleheader, Saturday at Kimmel Arena. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m., and will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game against Winthrop at 2 p.m.
Both games are presented by TD Bank, and the doubleheader will serve as Pride Day, with the Asheville Gay Men's Chorus slated to sing the National Anthem prior to the women's game.
Saturday's contest will also serve as Senior Day for forward Jeremy Peck, who will be graduating in May. He will be honored prior to tipoff of the game.
The Bulldogs (11-13, 5-8 Big South) are coming off of a thrilling 73-71 victory against Longwood at home, Thursday night. As a team, they shot a season-best 59.6 percent from the floor and a season-high 55 percent from the 3-point line. It was the sixth game in conference play this season for the Bulldogs that had been decided by exactly two points.
The Buccaneers (13-13, 7-7) enter the matchup after winning a close game of their own, Thursday night, taking down High Point, 66-63. Charleston Southern is 5-8 on the road this season, including a 3-3 record in Big South Conference play.
This will be the 85th all-time meeting between Asheville and Charleston Southern in a series that dates back to the 1988-89 season. The teams faced off earlier this season, with the Bulldogs scratching out a 71-69 victory in Charleston, January 11. LJ Thorpe finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and scored the decisive bucket with nine seconds remaining.
Saturday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Kyle Rush and Bulldog Basketball legend John Williams on the call HERE. 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
- With seven victories more than their total last season, the Bulldogs are among the top teams in the country in improving their win total from last year. They are tied for fourth in the country with Stetson, who they defeated, December 17.
- The Bulldogs rank third in the country in turnover margin at plus-5.4 per game, and they rank Top 55 in the country in fewest total turnovers. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in only three of 24 games this season.
- The Bulldogs force their opponents into 17.5 turnovers per game, which ranks 12th in the country. They also average 8.5 steals per game, ranking 23rd in the nation. Lavar Batts, Jr. leads the Big South, averaging 1.9 steals per game, while LJ Thorpe (1.5 spg), DeVon Baker (1.5 spg) and Trent Stephney (1.3 spg) all rank in the Top 15.
- DeVon Baker scored 15 points against Longwood on an efficient 5-of-6 night from the floor, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. It is the first time in his career he has shot 100 percent from 3-point range in a game with multiple attempts. Baker is shooting 38.8 percent from distance this season after hitting 30.3 percent as a freshman.
- The Dogs hit a season best 55 percent (11-of-20) on 3-pointers against Longwood. They are second in the Big South, hitting 35.2 percent from three, and they are third in the conference with 8.3 makes per game from beyond the arc. Tajion Jones is second in the conference, hitting 2.3 3-pointers per game.
- Four Bulldogs rank inside the Top 19 in scoring in the Big South Conference (DeVon Baker – 5th, 16.3; Tajion Jones – 7th, 14.7; LJ Thorpe – 10th, 14.1; Lavar Batts, Jr. – 19th, 12.4). No other team has more than two in the Top 19.
- The Bulldogs are averaging 76.0 points per game, ranking 59th in the country and third 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 16.1 more points per game than it did last season.
- According to KenPom, the Bulldogs rank 19th in the country in turnover percentage defense, forcing opponents into turnovers on nearly a quarter of their possessions, with 23.2 percent of opponents' possessions ending in a turnover.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 1 – The Bulldogs have used just one starting lineup all season. Asheville is the only team in Division I to use one starting lineup all season.
- 10 – LJ Thorpe dished out a career-high 10 assists at Hampton, becoming the first Bulldog to record double-digit assists in a game since J.P. Primm against High Point, March 2, 2010.
- 10 – 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 10th-youngest team, according to KenPom.
- 50 – The Bulldogs hit a season-best 59.6 percent from the field against Longwood, marking the fifth time this season they have shot 50 percent or better. They are 5-0 in those games.
- 97.2 – The Bulldogs underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) have scored 97.2 percent of the team's points this season, representing the highest percentage of underclassmen scoring in Division I.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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