University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
2-3,0-0Big South
North Carolina
4-2,0-0ACC
Men’s basketball battles tough, falls at North Carolina
11.23.2021 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team visited the historic Dean E. Smith Center to face North Carolina on Tuesday evening, falling to the Tar Heels 72-53.
The Bulldogs struggled a bit from the field, but forced 18 turnovers and turned that into 19 points to hang around the game all the way until the end. While the clean looks weren't falling early, Asheville stuck with its game plan, closing the first half strong and cutting the deficit to nine at the midway point of the second half before North Carolina ultimately took control in the waning minutes of the second.
"Our guys really wanted to come here and play well, I was really proud of their effort," said UNC Asheville head coach Mike Morrell. "Sometimes you just want it so bad, that the shots come up a little short but everything our guys could control they did a great job of tonight."
The loss moves UNC Asheville's record to 2-3 overall, while North Carolina improves to 4-2 on the season. The Bulldogs will return home this coming Sunday, hosting St. Andrews at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
"I knew coming in we weren't going to catch these guys sleeping at all," Morrell said of UNC. "That third, four-minute stretch of the second half I told our guys we can stay in the fight right here and get it to eight minutes, we have a great shot, we just didn't get it there, but that's a credit to North Carolina. They have a really good team. Talented, talented club. But I'm just proud of our guys for their fight tonight."
The Game at a Glance
- Bulldogs force 18 turnovers, score 19 points off turnovers
- Jamon Battle sets career highs in points (19) and made 3-pointers (3-of-4)
- Drew Pember records 5 blocks, grabs three rebounds
- Coty Jude, Tajion Jones total nine points apiece
How it Happened
Battle was keyed in early, knocking down a corner three to start the scoring off for Asheville. Nearing the halfway point of the first, North Carolina knocked down a pair of transition threes to jump ahead 17-5. After extending the lead to 20, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 13 at the break.
