University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 29
Asheville
4:30 PM
UNC Asheville
at
Campbell
Photo by: Mark Godin
Bulldogs Close Out Regular Season with Rematch at Campbell
02.28.2020 | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES | at CAMPBELL
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – UNC Asheville's men's basketball team travels to Campbell for a 4:30 p.m. matchup, Saturday, February 29, inside Gore Arena to close out the 2019-20 regular season.
The Bulldogs (14-14, 8-9 Big South) secured a critical Big South Conference victory, Thursday night at High Point, downing the Panthers, 80-76, hitting six clutch free throws in the game's final 11 seconds. Tajion Jones led the way with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 from the 3-point line. LJ Thorpe scored 19 points and added eight rebounds and six assists.
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved their positioning in the conference regular-season standings. Should the Bulldogs finish in fourth or fifth place, they will receive a first-round bye and advance to the quarterfinals, set for next Thursday. If they finish in sixth-eighth place, they will host a Big South Tournament first-round game at Kimmel Arena, Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
The Camels (14-15, 5-12 Big South) last played on Saturday, falling to Gardner-Webb on the road, 73-61. They are 7-5 at home this season, including a 3-5 record during league play.
Asheville has a 25-22 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1967-68 season. The two teams met early in the conference slate, as Campbell won the January 8 matchup, 64-62, inside Kimmel Arena. Jones led the scoring effort with 17 points, while DeVon Baker scored 16 points and Lavar Batts, Jr. added 13. The Bulldogs last secured a victory in Gore Arena February 1, 2018, with a 64-57 result.
Saturday's game will be live-streamed on ESPN+ HERE. Brian Hall and Bulldog legend Coach Eddie Biedenbach will have the radio call on New Radio 570AM WWNC, which can also be found streaming HERE. Live stats will also be available HERE.
Â
NOTABLY
BY THE NUMBERS
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – UNC Asheville's men's basketball team travels to Campbell for a 4:30 p.m. matchup, Saturday, February 29, inside Gore Arena to close out the 2019-20 regular season.
The Bulldogs (14-14, 8-9 Big South) secured a critical Big South Conference victory, Thursday night at High Point, downing the Panthers, 80-76, hitting six clutch free throws in the game's final 11 seconds. Tajion Jones led the way with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 from the 3-point line. LJ Thorpe scored 19 points and added eight rebounds and six assists.
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved their positioning in the conference regular-season standings. Should the Bulldogs finish in fourth or fifth place, they will receive a first-round bye and advance to the quarterfinals, set for next Thursday. If they finish in sixth-eighth place, they will host a Big South Tournament first-round game at Kimmel Arena, Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
The Camels (14-15, 5-12 Big South) last played on Saturday, falling to Gardner-Webb on the road, 73-61. They are 7-5 at home this season, including a 3-5 record during league play.
Asheville has a 25-22 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1967-68 season. The two teams met early in the conference slate, as Campbell won the January 8 matchup, 64-62, inside Kimmel Arena. Jones led the scoring effort with 17 points, while DeVon Baker scored 16 points and Lavar Batts, Jr. added 13. The Bulldogs last secured a victory in Gore Arena February 1, 2018, with a 64-57 result.
Saturday's game will be live-streamed on ESPN+ HERE. Brian Hall and Bulldog legend Coach Eddie Biedenbach will have the radio call on New Radio 570AM WWNC, which can also be found streaming HERE. Live stats will also be available HERE.
Â
NOTABLY
- With 10 victories more than their total from last season, the Bulldogs are tied for the second-largest win improvement in the country over last year, only one victory behind Western Carolina and Stephen F. Austin. They are one of four teams in the country with a double-digit turnaround in victories.
- The Bulldogs rank fourth in the country in turnover margin at plus-5.1 per game, and they rank Top 60 in the country in fewest total turnovers. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in only three of 28 games this season.
- The Bulldogs force their opponents into 17.1 turnovers per game, which ranks 15th in the country. They also average 8.4 steals per game, ranking 25th in the nation. Lavar Batts, Jr. leads the Big South, averaging 1.9 steals per game, while DeVon Baker (1.5 spg), LJ Thorpe (1.4 spg) and Trent Stephney (1.3 spg) rank in the Top 15. No other team has more than two players in the Top 15.
- DeVon Baker has scored 962 points in the first two seasons of his Bulldog career and is now just 38 points away from becoming the 34th player in program history to hit the 1,000-point milestone, and just the third sophomore to do so.
- Three Bulldogs rank inside the Top 10 in scoring in the Big South Conference (DeVon Baker – 5th, 16.6; Tajion Jones – 8th, 14.5; LJ Thorpe – 10th, 14.1). No other team has more than two in the Top 10.
- The Dogs hit a season-best 55 percent (11-of-20) on 3-pointers against Longwood. They are third in the Big South, hitting 34.8 percent from three, and they are third in the conference with 8.1 makes per game from beyond the arc. Coty Jude and Tajion Jones are tied for fourth in the league, hitting 2.3 3-pointers per game.
- The Bulldogs are averaging 75.8 points per game, ranking third in the Big South and 57th nationally. The Bulldogs finished the 2018-19 campaign ranked 349th nationally in scoring, averaging 59.9 points per game. The team is averaging 15.9 more points per game than it did last season.
- According to KenPom, the Bulldogs rank 24th in the country in turnover percentage defense, forcing opponents into turnovers on nearly a quarter of their possessions, with 22.9 percent of opponents' possessions ending in a turnover.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 1 – The Bulldogs have used just one starting lineup all season. Asheville is one of just two teams in Division I to use one starting lineup (North Texas).
- 3 – Redshirt junior Jax Levitch recorded three blocks in just 2:37 of action at High Point, setting a career-high. He and Jamon Battle are the only players on the roster with three blocks in a game.
- 12 – Despite returning 83.6 percent of its minutes from a season ago, UNC Asheville still possesses one of the youngest rosters in the country, ranking as the 12th-youngest team, according to KenPom.
- 50 – The Bulldogs hit a season-best 59.6 percent from the field against Longwood, and followed that with a 51.9 percent effort against Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better in a game six times and are 6-0 in those games.
- 97 – The Bulldogs underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) have scored 97 percent of the team's points this season, representing the highest percentage of underclassmen scoring in Division I.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Highlights || 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