University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Asheville, NC
4:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville
13-14,7-9Big So
75
vs
64
Presbyterian
9-20,6-10Big So
1
2
F
Presbyterian
35
29
64
UNC Asheville
25
50
75
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Huge Second Half Propels Bulldogs to Homecoming Victory
02.22.2020 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE – After trailing by 10 points at halftime and by as many as 13 in the second half, UNC Asheville's men's basketball team rallied for a thrilling turnaround, defeating Presbyterian, 75-64, Saturday evening inside Kimmel Arena.
The Bulldogs (13-14, 7-9 Big South) outscored Presbyterian (9-20, 6-10 Big South) 50-29 in the second half and closed out the game on a 41-19 run over the final 15:08 of the second half.
Sophomore DeVon Baker led all scorers in the game with 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting and a 9-of-10 effort from the charity stripe. It is his sixth 20-point effort this season and 15th of his career.
He carried the Bulldogs through a sleepy first half, scoring 11 of the team's 25 points. The Blue Hose went ahead by as many as 12 points in the first frame and took a 35-25 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldogs stumbled somewhat out of the blocks in the second half, falling behind by 13 points on a pair of occasions, including at the 17:19 mark, 43-30. From that point, the Bulldogs would be the aggressors.
Lavar Batts, Jr. drew a foul on the next possession and knocked down both of his free throws. He scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. LJ Thorpe also had a major impact in the second, scoring 14 of his 16 points after the break. Baker continued to be a threat, adding 13 points in the second half.
Tajion Jones joined that trio in double-figure scoring, adding 12 points in the game, including eight in the second half.
The Bulldogs trailed by 11, 45-34, at the first media timeout of the second half, but a strong move to the bucket by Thorpe would cut the lead to single digits. The Bulldogs forced a turnover on the Blue Hose' next possession, and Thorpe converted another layup, this time while being fouled. His and-one ignited the season's best crowd of 2,578 and gave the Bulldogs momentum they would not relinquish.
A layup by Batts at the 9:33 mark tied the game at 49 apiece, and after PC tied it a 51-all, a 3-pointer by Baker would put the Bulldogs up for good.
Ahead 58-53 with 6:15 remaining, Thorpe stole the ball at midcourt and pushed it ahead to Jones for an emphatic slam, igniting an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs to go up 13 points with 4:33 left in the game.
Freshman Jamon Battle played a career-high 16:27 minutes, with nearly 13 of those coming in the second half. He played a critical role in slowing down the PC attack, adding a highlight-reel blocked shot into the stands for good measure.
As a team, the Bulldogs forced 12 of the 18 turnovers against the Blue Hose in the second half.
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 14 points in the final minute and change, but a couple of layups in the waning seconds by PC, plus a free throw from Batts, gave the Bulldogs the final margin of victory.
Â
NOTABLY
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs close out the regular season on the road, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest at High Point, Thursday, February 27.
Â
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"I thought that was the best crowd we've had all year. I thought the second half, we got our style of play going and were running up and down the court, and they really fed off the crowd. Obviously, Homecoming this weekend, and I'm really, really thankful for the crowd we had today. I think it was our best crowd of the year just by looking at it from the court, and it was huge in the win today.
"I'm really proud of our guys. It was the tale of two halves today. We were able to score and get to the free throw line, and we were able to get into the press and get the play going a little bit faster. I thought Jamon Battle, 'Doc,' was huge for us in the second half. (Corey) Hightower kind of had his way all day with us and 'Doc' was able to neutralize him a little bit. DeVon (Baker) almost single-handedly offensively kept us in the game in the first half. We were really lucky to only go in down 10, so it gave us a chance coming into the second half not being down more than that. You feel like you have a fighter's chance. A great second half for us in terms of scoring 50 points, and obviously we needed every one of them." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
Â
The Bulldogs (13-14, 7-9 Big South) outscored Presbyterian (9-20, 6-10 Big South) 50-29 in the second half and closed out the game on a 41-19 run over the final 15:08 of the second half.
Sophomore DeVon Baker led all scorers in the game with 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting and a 9-of-10 effort from the charity stripe. It is his sixth 20-point effort this season and 15th of his career.
He carried the Bulldogs through a sleepy first half, scoring 11 of the team's 25 points. The Blue Hose went ahead by as many as 12 points in the first frame and took a 35-25 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldogs stumbled somewhat out of the blocks in the second half, falling behind by 13 points on a pair of occasions, including at the 17:19 mark, 43-30. From that point, the Bulldogs would be the aggressors.
Lavar Batts, Jr. drew a foul on the next possession and knocked down both of his free throws. He scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. LJ Thorpe also had a major impact in the second, scoring 14 of his 16 points after the break. Baker continued to be a threat, adding 13 points in the second half.
Tajion Jones joined that trio in double-figure scoring, adding 12 points in the game, including eight in the second half.
The Bulldogs trailed by 11, 45-34, at the first media timeout of the second half, but a strong move to the bucket by Thorpe would cut the lead to single digits. The Bulldogs forced a turnover on the Blue Hose' next possession, and Thorpe converted another layup, this time while being fouled. His and-one ignited the season's best crowd of 2,578 and gave the Bulldogs momentum they would not relinquish.
A layup by Batts at the 9:33 mark tied the game at 49 apiece, and after PC tied it a 51-all, a 3-pointer by Baker would put the Bulldogs up for good.
Ahead 58-53 with 6:15 remaining, Thorpe stole the ball at midcourt and pushed it ahead to Jones for an emphatic slam, igniting an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs to go up 13 points with 4:33 left in the game.
Freshman Jamon Battle played a career-high 16:27 minutes, with nearly 13 of those coming in the second half. He played a critical role in slowing down the PC attack, adding a highlight-reel blocked shot into the stands for good measure.
As a team, the Bulldogs forced 12 of the 18 turnovers against the Blue Hose in the second half.
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 14 points in the final minute and change, but a couple of layups in the waning seconds by PC, plus a free throw from Batts, gave the Bulldogs the final margin of victory.
Â
NOTABLY
- The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Hose, 50-29, in the second half, including a 41-19 run over the final 15:08 of the game.
- The Bulldogs forced 18 PC turnovers while turning it over just seven times themselves. They have forced more turnovers than their opponents in 21-of-27 games this season, and have only turned it over more than their opponent three times.
- Eleven of the 18 turnovers forced came via steal, marking the 11th time this season the Bulldogs have recorded double-digit steals. DeVon Baker led the way with three steals.
- The seven turnovers are tied for the fewest the Bulldogs have given up this season, matching a mark they set in victories against UT Martin and at Charleston Southern. It is the seventh time the Bulldogs have turned the ball over fewer than 10 times in a game this season, and they are 6-1 in those contests.
- Baker led all scorers in the game with 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. It is the sixth 20-point effort for Baker this season and 15th of his career.
- Baker notched a season-high with two blocks, which also tied his career-high, set last season against Campbell, January 16, 2019.
- The Bulldogs dominated in points off turnovers, 24-to-5. They also led in second-chance points, 11-to-7 and fast-break points 17-16.
- LJ Thorpe led the team with seven rebounds, his team-best 17th game leading in rebounding.
- Lavar Batts, Jr. led the team with three assists, the 14th time this season he's done so.
- Freshman Jamon Battle played a career-high 16:27 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs close out the regular season on the road, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest at High Point, Thursday, February 27.
Â
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"I thought that was the best crowd we've had all year. I thought the second half, we got our style of play going and were running up and down the court, and they really fed off the crowd. Obviously, Homecoming this weekend, and I'm really, really thankful for the crowd we had today. I think it was our best crowd of the year just by looking at it from the court, and it was huge in the win today.
"I'm really proud of our guys. It was the tale of two halves today. We were able to score and get to the free throw line, and we were able to get into the press and get the play going a little bit faster. I thought Jamon Battle, 'Doc,' was huge for us in the second half. (Corey) Hightower kind of had his way all day with us and 'Doc' was able to neutralize him a little bit. DeVon (Baker) almost single-handedly offensively kept us in the game in the first half. We were really lucky to only go in down 10, so it gave us a chance coming into the second half not being down more than that. You feel like you have a fighter's chance. A great second half for us in terms of scoring 50 points, and obviously we needed every one of them." – Head Coach Mike Morrell
Â
Team Stats
PC
AVL
FG%
.532
.460
3FG%
.167
.176
FT%
.600
.765
RB
33
30
TO
18
7
STL
3
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballHighlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #5 Longwood (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #3 Gardner-Webb (Big South Tournament)
Monday, March 18
Highlights || Men's Basketball || #2 UNC Asheville vs #7 Charleston Southern (Big South Tournament)
Thursday, March 14
Highlights || Men's Basketball || UNC Asheville at Radford
Monday, March 04