University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
6-4,0-0Big South
Western Carolina
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Men’s basketball tops Western Carolina 73-72 for first win in Cullowhee since 2007
12.11.2021 | Men's Basketball
Pember, Thorpe each score 19 points in win
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team visited Western Carolina Saturday afternoon, defeating the Catamounts 73-72 for the program's first win in Cullowhee since 2007 (November 20).
"It feels nice to be on the right side of this after the last few years when we've just had some heartbreaking losses. Western always plays well and I think we play well too, it's just been a heck of a rivalry," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell of the win. "Like I told our guys, this game really means something in the area and something to us, so it's really nice for our seniors to get a win against them, especially on the road."
The Bulldogs embarked on a 19-2 run in the first half and led 37-33 at the break, but the Catamounts would match Asheville 58-58 with six minutes to play. From here LJ Thorpe, who totaled a season-high 19 points, took over down the stretch feeding Drew Pember with 30 seconds to play. After Western Carolina hit a three to cut the lead to one, Jamon Battle would intentionally miss a free throw as time expired as the Bulldogs snagged their first win in the series since December 17, 2016.
"He was terrific, he's just scratching the surface," said Morrell of Pember's double-double. "So talented, such a good kid and our guys really believe and feed off of him…With LJ, you really trust him to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game," said Morrell of Thorpe. "He made the right decisions. He's just really strong with it and when he gets going downhill he's really tough. Proud of LJ."
The Game at a Glance
- First win in Cullowhee since November 20, 2007, first series win since 2016 (12/17)
- Pember records first career double-double, career high 13 rebounds
- Bulldogs hold Catamounts to 27.3 percent shooting from three (6-for-22).
- Jones moves up to 23rd in all-time scoring list (1,184)
- Thorpe scores season-high 19 points, grabs seven rebounds
What's Next
The Bulldogs, who improve to 6-4 on the season, will remain on the road for their next game, visiting UT Martin on Tuesday. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. eastern time and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs held Western Carolina, who entered the weekend fifth in the country in 3-pointers per game, to just 6-for-22 shooting from behind the arc, knocking down 12 treys in the process (12-for-30, 40 percent).
"I think we took a lot of confidence in what we were able to do," Morrell said of holding Western Carolina to just six 3-pointers. "The guys really focused on the plan, put the plan intact and I thought guys really honored it."
How it Happened
Western Carolina jumped out to a 14-6 lead, but Asheville responded with a 19-2 run to take a 25-16 lead at the under-eight media timeout. The Catamounts clawed back and cut the lead to three (27-24), but Thorpe and Battle would get to the rim, pushing the lead back out to seven. Thorpe would knock down back-to-back treys as the Bulldogs took a 37-33 lead into half.
Drew Pember opened up the second with a 3-pointer, but Western Carolina would battle back and take a 48-47 lead at the 12-minute mark. Pember continued to make his presence felt, knotting the score up at 58-58 with time beginning to wind down. In the last six minutes, Thorpe began to take over giving Asheville a 69-66 lead with 1:22 remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Catamounts would miss and Thorpe milked the shot clock, setting up Pember for a layup to extend the lead to five. Running out of time, Western Carolina knocked down a three and fouled Jamon Battle who would intentionally miss his second free throw to kill the clock as Asheville won 73-72.
