University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
8-7, 7-3BSC
Gardner-Webb
4-9, 3-5BSC
Gardner-Webb downs Asheville, Jones reaches 1,000 points
01.20.2021 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team capped off the second game of its back-to-back contests at Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night, falling to the Runnin' Bulldogs 84-57 at Paul Porter Arena. Â
"Got to give Gardner-Webb a lot of credit, I thought they played really well," said head coach Mike Morrell. "We didn't do ourselves any favors today, but hopefully this is a great lesson for us about being ready to go in our league."
Tajion Jones, who scored five points, became the 36th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career, joining teammate DeVon Baker on that prestigious list. Baker was a bright spot for Asheville, scoring a season-high 20 points in just his fourth game back, with 15 coming in the second half. As a team, Asheville shot a solid 46.8 percent from the field, but knocked down just four 3-pointers and were outrebounded 38 to 16.
The loss snaps Asheville's four-game win streak, dropping its overall record to 8-7 overall and 7-3 in Big South play. Meanwhile, the win for Gardner-Webb snaps its three-game losing streak, improving to 4-9 and 3-5 in conference play.
"The reason there weren't a lot of rebounds for us tonight was because they didn't miss a lot of shots," Morrell said. "But we've done a good job of getting ourselves off to a good start in this league, and we're halfway through."
The Rundown
After the teams traded buckets, a 3-pointer from Tajion Jones gave Asheville the 8-7 edge early. Gardner-Webb responded with an 11-0 run to take a lead it would not relinquish. Baker and Coty Jude each but the Runnin' Bulldogs kept Asheville at bay. In the closing minutes of the half, Gardner-Webb would get to the free throw line and into the paint, taking a 47-28 lead into the break.
Gardner-Webb picked up where it left off in the second, scoring six of the first points to keep their advantage. Baker began to get into a groove mixing the inside and outside game, hitting a 3-pointer and a trio of mid-range shots, but the Runnin' Bulldogs responded each time, ultimately taking the 84-57 win.
What's Next
Asheville returns home on Sunday and Monday, welcoming Radford to Kimmel Arena at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.
