University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Thursday, February 6
Asheville, NC
6 p.m.
UNC Asheville
vs
USC Upstate
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Bulldogs Return to Kimmel Arena for Rematch with USC Upstate
02.04.2020 | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES | vs USC UPSTATE
ASHEVILLE – UNC Asheville's men's basketball has its first in-season rematch of the year when it hosts USC Upstate in a 6 p.m., Thursday night showdown inside Kimmel Arena.
Thursday's matchup is presented by Carolina Alliance Bank.
The Bulldogs (9-12, 3-7 Big South) faced off against Big South Conference-leading Winthrop, Saturday afternoon, in Rock Hill, falling 104-71. LJ Thorpe led the team in points for the second-straight game and recorded his fourth 20-point outing of the season, leading all scorers in the game with 21. Lavar Batts, Jr. added 19 points and DeVon Baker scored 18.
The Spartans (10-13, 5-5 Big South) have won three-straight games in league play, including a 91-74 decision against Campbell at home, last Saturday. The Spartans are 2-3 on the road in conference games this season.
UNC Asheville holds a 12-7 advantage in the all-time series, but Upstate halted a six-game winning streak in the series for the Bulldogs less than two weeks ago, as the Bulldogs fell in Spartanburg, 80-63. Thorpe led the team in points (17), rebounds (9) and assists (2) in the game.
The last time the teams met in Kimmel Arena, Asheville emerged with a 71-62 victory, January 30, 2019. DeVon Baker scored 20 points in the game, while Coty Jude and Donovan Gilmore added 17 apiece.
Thursday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Stradley and Raoul Hunt 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 has its first in-season rematch of the year when it hosts USC Upstate in a 6 p.m., Thursday night showdown inside Kimmel Arena.
Thursday's matchup is presented by Carolina Alliance Bank.
The Bulldogs (9-12, 3-7 Big South) faced off against Big South Conference-leading Winthrop, Saturday afternoon, in Rock Hill, falling 104-71. LJ Thorpe led the team in points for the second-straight game and recorded his fourth 20-point outing of the season, leading all scorers in the game with 21. Lavar Batts, Jr. added 19 points and DeVon Baker scored 18.
The Spartans (10-13, 5-5 Big South) have won three-straight games in league play, including a 91-74 decision against Campbell at home, last Saturday. The Spartans are 2-3 on the road in conference games this season.
UNC Asheville holds a 12-7 advantage in the all-time series, but Upstate halted a six-game winning streak in the series for the Bulldogs less than two weeks ago, as the Bulldogs fell in Spartanburg, 80-63. Thorpe led the team in points (17), rebounds (9) and assists (2) in the game.
The last time the teams met in Kimmel Arena, Asheville emerged with a 71-62 victory, January 30, 2019. DeVon Baker scored 20 points in the game, while Coty Jude and Donovan Gilmore added 17 apiece.
Thursday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Stradley and Raoul Hunt 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
- The Bulldogs rank third in the country in turnover margin at plus-6.0 per game, and they rank 42nd in the country in fewest total turnovers. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in only two games this season.
- The Bulldogs force their opponents into 18.0 turnovers per game, which ranks ninth in the country. They also average 8.7 steals per game, ranking 21st in the nation. Lavar Batts, Jr. is second in the Big South, averaging 1.9 steals per game, while LJ Thorpe (1.6 spg), DeVon Baker (1.5 spg) and Trent Stephney (1.4 spg) all rank in the Top 15.
- Four Bulldogs rank inside the Top 15 in scoring in the Big South Conference (DeVon Baker – 4th, 15.8; Tajion Jones – 7th, 14.7; LJ Thorpe – 9th, 13.9; Lavar Batts, Jr. – 12th, 13.0). No other team has more than two in the Top 15.
- The Bulldogs are averaging 76.1 points per game, ranking 67th 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 16.2 more points per game than it did last season.
- The Dogs lead the Big South, hitting 35.4 percent from three, and they are third in the conference and 67th nationally with 8.5 makes per game from beyond the arc. Tajion Jones and Coty Jude are tied for third in the conference, hitting 2.2 3-pointers per game. Against St. Andrews, the Bulldogs drained a program-record 19 3-pointers.
- According to KenPom, the Bulldogs rank 15th in the country in turnover percentage defense, forcing opponents into turnovers on nearly a quarter of their possessions, with 23.7 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.
- 7 – LJ Thorpe ranks seventh in the Big South in rebounding during conference games, averaging 6.9 boards per game. He has pulled down at least seven rebounds in six of 10 league games so far.
- 9 – 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 ninth-youngest team, according to KenPom.
- 50 – The Bulldogs hit 52 percent from the field against Radford, marking the third time this season they shot 50 percent or better in a game. They hit 56.9 percent against The Citadel and 50 percent against Charlotte. They are 3-0 in those games.
- 97.4 – The Bulldogs underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) have scored 97.4 percent of the team's points this season, representing the highest percentage of underclassmen scoring in Division I.
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