University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
6-6,5-2Big South
Radford
1-6,1-4Big South
Seniors Spark Asheville to 84-80 Victory Over Radford
01.22.2021 | Women's Basketball
RADFORD, Va. – Seniors Nadiria Evans and Amaryah Corpening combined for 52 points to help lead the UNC Asheville women's basketball team to an 84-80 victory at Radford Friday night. The win brings Asheville's record back to the .500 mark overall at 6-6, while boosting its conference mark to 5-2.
Evans led all scorers netting 31 points that included a 13-for-15 effort from the free throw line. To go along with the 31 points, Evans added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Corpening added 21 points, which matched a career-high, and Kai Carter finished with 13 points to go with six rebounds as well.
Despite coming off a long layoff, Radford came out of the gates slightly more efficient than Asheville in terms of shooting percentage. The Highlanders connected on 57 percent of its shots from the field in the first quarter. However, Evans and Carter each chipped in six points to help the Bulldogs keep pace, and they trailed by just two points, 20-18, after one quarter.
As the second quarter began, it looked like Radford may start to run away from Asheville as it built a nine-point lead, 30-21. However, the Bulldogs battled back thanks to a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 31-30. Both teams jostled for the lead in the closing minutes after the Asheville run, and the clock hit zeros with the score being tied at 35. Faith Adams was key for Asheville in the final minutes of the first half, scoring seven points in the last two-plus minutes and matched her career-high of nine points in just the first half.
"We didn't get off to the start we would've liked but credit Radford," said Head Coach Honey Brown. "I'm proud of our resilience to battle back and get even at halftime."
Asheville opened the second half on a 7-0 run to pressure the Highlanders. A big part of the run and the Bulldog offense in the third was Evans. Evans, who was limited to six points in the first two quarters, scored 12 of Asheville's 20 points in the third quarter. The senior guard also added an assist in the frame, so she directly impacted an Asheville scoring play on 15 of the team's 20 points in the quarter. Despite Evans's scoring barrage, Radford erased the Bulldog lead that reached as many as eight points at one time to trail by just three, 55-52 heading into the final quarter.
The dueling offenses of the Bulldogs and Highlanders returned in the fourth quarter. The two squads netted nearly 60 points combined in the final 10 minutes. The tandem of Evans and Corpening fueled Asheville's 29 points as the two players scored every point for the Bulldogs in the final frame. The outburst from Corpening and Evans was enough for Asheville to outlast Radford winning, 84-80. The 84 points are the most for Bulldogs against a Division I opponent in a 40-minute game since February 18, 2017, against Longwood, when they also scored 84. A major key in the 84-point outburst was Asheville turning 24 Radford turnovers into 29 points.
"The team was locked in more defensively in the second half, which helped our transition offense get going," Brown added. "I'm really happy for Nadiria and Amaryah for their great performances!"
Asheville and Radford will matchup again Saturday afternoon in the series finale. Tip-off for that contest is set for 3 p.m.
