University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Going Dancing: Women's Basketball Wins the 2007 Big South Tournament
03.20.2020 | Women's Basketball
With the NCAA taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 NCAA Basketball Championships have been canceled. In lieu of March Madness, UNC Asheville and Big South Conference Hall of Famer Mike Gore will take Bulldog fans down memory lane, recounting each Asheville trip to The Big Dance.
Betsy Blose did something that some would think was kind of crazy in her first practice as head coach at UNC Asheville in the fall of 2002.
She had her team practice cutting down nets.
Taking over a program that had gone 1-28 the previous year and a program that had produced one winning season in the last 18 years, Blose had her hands full trying to rebuild the Asheville program. But she wanted her new team to think about championships.
"I wanted to get it in their minds that we were going to win a championship one day, and we all needed to know how to cut the nets down," stated Blose back then. "Sure, we had a lot of work to do and it would take time but that's what I wanted to be our mindset."
Four seasons later, Betsy and her program got to cut down nets when Asheville captured its first Big South Conference Tournament title with a 67-57 victory over Radford. Let's take a look back at those three great days in March of 2007.
Blose did a great job building up the Asheville program. She went 3-25 her first year and didn't win a conference game but the Bulldogs were so much better than they had been the previous season. A year later, Asheville was the most improved team in the country with a 19-9 record and second-place finish in Big South Conference play. At the time, it was easily the highest the Bulldog program had ever finished in league play and marked the most wins in the Division I era.
The record was 18-12 the following season and Asheville advanced to the Big South title game when it lost to top-ranked Liberty on the Flames' homecourt. Liberty was nationally ranked that year and would go to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs fell back to 15-13 in 2005-06 but even that was progress. A few years earlier, 15 wins would have been cause of a celebration. That season Asheville felt it had been a little short.
There was excitement prior to the 2006-07 campaign when UNC Asheville was awarded the bid to host the Big South Conference tournament for the next two seasons. What followed was one of the most memorable seasons in school history.
It began with a championship as the Bulldogs captured the UNC Asheville Invitational with an exciting overtime win over Indiana-Fort Wayne. Later in the season, the Bulldogs would capture a special victory when they went down to Wake Forest and recorded a 58-53 win. It was the first win by an Asheville basketball program against an ACC program.
The Big South Conference was as balanced as it had been in a long time. Liberty had won 10 straight conference championships and while the Flames were good, they weren't the class of the league like they had been in previous years.
Asheville had to battle through some injuries, and after a 59-53 loss to High Point, the Bulldogs had fallen to 6-5 in league play and were in fifth place.
But Asheville served notice in its next game that it would be ready to go when the upcoming conference tournament came to town. The Bulldogs walked into Liberty on Senior Night and came out with a 54-51 victory. It was a huge win. The victory was Asheville's first at the Vines Center and first win in Lynchburg in 17 years.
The Bulldogs showed no hangover after the Liberty game with a decisive 84-70 home victory over Radford and an 86-58 destruction of Birmingham-Southern.
As the regular season ended, the Bulldogs got some good news when they learned that freshman Kyla Jones was named Big South Rookie of the Year. Amanda Elder earned second-team honors, while Ana Baker made the All-Academic squad.
Asheville entered the BSC Tournament with an 18-11 overall record and fourth-place finish in league play at 9-5. The Dogs would face a dangerous Coastal Carolina squad in the quarterfinals at Justice Center. Not all the news was good for the Bulldogs as leading scorer Ashton Barton would miss the tournament with an injury.
Coastal led 40-33 early in the second half but the Bulldogs' defense would take over. The Chanticleers would only score 11 points in the next 14 minutes, while Asheville would dominate the boards and score inside at will. Brittany Hendley and Katie Baldwin sank key three-pointers for Asheville. Amanda Elder dominated inside as the senior forward would enjoy a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 8-of-10 from the field and handed out four assists plus block two shots. Hendley added 17 points, while Stacy Shepard also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The semifinals would be against a surprise opponent. High Point had won the regular-season title and earned its first ever #1 seed. But the Panthers were stunned in the quarterfinals by eighth-seeded Winthrop. The Lady Eagles were an eight seed, but a team that had been in just about every game throughout the year.
It wasn't going to be easy to get to the finals and Winthrop made it tough on the Dogs. The game was tied 24-24 at halftime and the Eagles surged ahead early in the second half. But once again the Bulldogs would use their stingy defense and strong rebounding to take charge of the game. Elder recorded yet another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Shepard grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 10 points. Point guard Anna Baker chipped in 10 points along with 10 points from Jones. Asheville outscored Winthrop 22-6 over a 10-minute stretch to earn its 20th win of the season.
The Big South Championship would be held in Asheville for the first time since 1990. UNC Asheville would be in just its second title game in school history. They faced second-seeded Radford. The teams had played two memorable games during the season with each team winning on its home court.
This game would be memorable as well. Asheville trailed 27-24 at halftime and in the second half, there were 13 lead changes. But with five minutes left, the Bulldogs went on a run to seize control. Baker knocked down a jumper to push the lead to 54-51. On the next possession, Elder hit a long three-pointer to suddenly give the Blue & White a 57-51 lead.
Soon there was the final media timeout. Blose gave directions to her team on what to do in the final four minutes but she didn't really have to.
"As I was talking to them in that timeout, I could tell by their eyes and reactions that they were saying – Coach, we've got this. We're going to be fine," said Blose afterwards. "I was still nervous but I felt a lot calmer after that timeout."
The lead was just four at 59-55 when Elder cemented her place in the Bulldog record book. She hit a jumper to push the lead to 61-55 with one-minute remaining and then grabbed three rebounds and made four free throws to seal the victory. As the horn sounded, Asheville was the Big South champ for the first time ever, 67-57.
Elder was named MVP of the tournament. She finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jones added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. But it was a game that everyone who played a major contribution. Brittany Hendley joined Elder on the All-Tournament team.
And after the awards had been handed out, the Bulldogs got to do what Blose has been practicing for years – cut down nets. From 1-28 to Big South champions.
The Bulldogs would advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. They were the 14th seed in the South Regional and would fall to SEC champion and Final Four participant LSU, 77-39.
Betsy Blose did something that some would think was kind of crazy in her first practice as head coach at UNC Asheville in the fall of 2002.
She had her team practice cutting down nets.
Taking over a program that had gone 1-28 the previous year and a program that had produced one winning season in the last 18 years, Blose had her hands full trying to rebuild the Asheville program. But she wanted her new team to think about championships.
"I wanted to get it in their minds that we were going to win a championship one day, and we all needed to know how to cut the nets down," stated Blose back then. "Sure, we had a lot of work to do and it would take time but that's what I wanted to be our mindset."
Four seasons later, Betsy and her program got to cut down nets when Asheville captured its first Big South Conference Tournament title with a 67-57 victory over Radford. Let's take a look back at those three great days in March of 2007.
Blose did a great job building up the Asheville program. She went 3-25 her first year and didn't win a conference game but the Bulldogs were so much better than they had been the previous season. A year later, Asheville was the most improved team in the country with a 19-9 record and second-place finish in Big South Conference play. At the time, it was easily the highest the Bulldog program had ever finished in league play and marked the most wins in the Division I era.
The record was 18-12 the following season and Asheville advanced to the Big South title game when it lost to top-ranked Liberty on the Flames' homecourt. Liberty was nationally ranked that year and would go to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs fell back to 15-13 in 2005-06 but even that was progress. A few years earlier, 15 wins would have been cause of a celebration. That season Asheville felt it had been a little short.
There was excitement prior to the 2006-07 campaign when UNC Asheville was awarded the bid to host the Big South Conference tournament for the next two seasons. What followed was one of the most memorable seasons in school history.
It began with a championship as the Bulldogs captured the UNC Asheville Invitational with an exciting overtime win over Indiana-Fort Wayne. Later in the season, the Bulldogs would capture a special victory when they went down to Wake Forest and recorded a 58-53 win. It was the first win by an Asheville basketball program against an ACC program.
The Big South Conference was as balanced as it had been in a long time. Liberty had won 10 straight conference championships and while the Flames were good, they weren't the class of the league like they had been in previous years.
Asheville had to battle through some injuries, and after a 59-53 loss to High Point, the Bulldogs had fallen to 6-5 in league play and were in fifth place.
But Asheville served notice in its next game that it would be ready to go when the upcoming conference tournament came to town. The Bulldogs walked into Liberty on Senior Night and came out with a 54-51 victory. It was a huge win. The victory was Asheville's first at the Vines Center and first win in Lynchburg in 17 years.
The Bulldogs showed no hangover after the Liberty game with a decisive 84-70 home victory over Radford and an 86-58 destruction of Birmingham-Southern.
As the regular season ended, the Bulldogs got some good news when they learned that freshman Kyla Jones was named Big South Rookie of the Year. Amanda Elder earned second-team honors, while Ana Baker made the All-Academic squad.
Asheville entered the BSC Tournament with an 18-11 overall record and fourth-place finish in league play at 9-5. The Dogs would face a dangerous Coastal Carolina squad in the quarterfinals at Justice Center. Not all the news was good for the Bulldogs as leading scorer Ashton Barton would miss the tournament with an injury.
Coastal led 40-33 early in the second half but the Bulldogs' defense would take over. The Chanticleers would only score 11 points in the next 14 minutes, while Asheville would dominate the boards and score inside at will. Brittany Hendley and Katie Baldwin sank key three-pointers for Asheville. Amanda Elder dominated inside as the senior forward would enjoy a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 8-of-10 from the field and handed out four assists plus block two shots. Hendley added 17 points, while Stacy Shepard also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The semifinals would be against a surprise opponent. High Point had won the regular-season title and earned its first ever #1 seed. But the Panthers were stunned in the quarterfinals by eighth-seeded Winthrop. The Lady Eagles were an eight seed, but a team that had been in just about every game throughout the year.
It wasn't going to be easy to get to the finals and Winthrop made it tough on the Dogs. The game was tied 24-24 at halftime and the Eagles surged ahead early in the second half. But once again the Bulldogs would use their stingy defense and strong rebounding to take charge of the game. Elder recorded yet another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Shepard grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 10 points. Point guard Anna Baker chipped in 10 points along with 10 points from Jones. Asheville outscored Winthrop 22-6 over a 10-minute stretch to earn its 20th win of the season.
The Big South Championship would be held in Asheville for the first time since 1990. UNC Asheville would be in just its second title game in school history. They faced second-seeded Radford. The teams had played two memorable games during the season with each team winning on its home court.
Soon there was the final media timeout. Blose gave directions to her team on what to do in the final four minutes but she didn't really have to.
"As I was talking to them in that timeout, I could tell by their eyes and reactions that they were saying – Coach, we've got this. We're going to be fine," said Blose afterwards. "I was still nervous but I felt a lot calmer after that timeout."
The lead was just four at 59-55 when Elder cemented her place in the Bulldog record book. She hit a jumper to push the lead to 61-55 with one-minute remaining and then grabbed three rebounds and made four free throws to seal the victory. As the horn sounded, Asheville was the Big South champ for the first time ever, 67-57.
Elder was named MVP of the tournament. She finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jones added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. But it was a game that everyone who played a major contribution. Brittany Hendley joined Elder on the All-Tournament team.
And after the awards had been handed out, the Bulldogs got to do what Blose has been practicing for years – cut down nets. From 1-28 to Big South champions.
The Bulldogs would advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. They were the 14th seed in the South Regional and would fall to SEC champion and Final Four participant LSU, 77-39.
Thursday, March 14
Thursday, March 14
Monday, March 04
Monday, February 26