University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
5-4,0-0Big South
Chattanooga
8-1,0-0SoCon
Men’s basketball rallies in second, comes up just short against Chattanooga
12.08.2021 | Men's Basketball
Jones knocks down six 3-pointers to total 200 for career
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Trailing by 13 points at the half, Tajion Jones buried five 3-pointers after the under-eight media timeout as the Bulldogs nearly capped off a second-half comeback over Chattanooga, ultimately falling to the Mocs 78-73 at Kimmel Arena Wednesday night.
"There wasn't anything different (with our approach) in the second half, we just executed better and attacked more. It wasn't schematic, we were just more of ourselves," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell. "We were the aggressor in the second, and we weren't in the first."
Knocking down six 3-pointers, Jones became just the fourth player in Asheville history to make 200 or more 3-pointers, sitting just nine threes away from sole possession of second all-time. With 22 points, the redshirt junior moved into 25th place all-time on the UNC Asheville scoring list, passing John Williams and Eddie Latta on Wednesday.
"He does what he does really well," Morrell said of Jones. "Guys did a good job finding him, he made shots and we were able to go on a run there in the second half and get the game back to a single possession and we gotta finish it. Disappointed in the result, not the effort."
Drew Pember had another strong outing for the blue and white, scoring a career-high 19 points while LJ Thorpe totaled 13 of his 15 points in the last 20 minutes of play. As a team, the Bulldogs outrebounded the strong frontcourt of the Mocs 31-30 scoring 32 points in the paint and committed just 10 turnovers.
Number 3 is deadly from three! Fourth member of the 200 three-point club in UNC Asheville history!! @TajionJones3 #IWWD #ALLinAVL pic.twitter.com/PN5DIKeQwA
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) December 9, 2021
What's Next
The loss drops Asheville's record to 5-4 overall, while the SoCon-favorite Mocs move to 8-1 overall. The Bulldogs will return to the road, visiting Western Carolina for a matchup that tips at 2:00 p.m. Saturday in Cullowhee.
The Game at a Glance
- Jones totals scores 22 points on six 3-pointers, five coming in the last eight minutes of play
- Asheville takes 69-68 lead at 3:44 mark, Mocs score 10 of last 14 points
- Thorpe totals 13 in second, Pember registers career-high 19 points, grabbing seven boards
How it Happened
Chattanooga scored the first four of the game, but the Bulldogs responded and knotted the game up at 12 apiece at the under-12 media timeout. Courtesy of four 3-pointers from A.J. Caldwell, the Mocs would take a 10-point lead with four to play, holding a 39-26 advantage at the break after another Caldwell trey.
LJ Thorpe was a man on a mission early in the second, scoring 10 points to pull the Bulldogs to within seven (14:26 to play). Chattanooga would respond by extending its lead to 15 before Jones became red hot from the floor, connecting from 3-point range five times in a three-minute span as Asheville took its first lead since early in the first half (10-9). The Mocs showed their depth down the stretch, as Malachi Smith scored a huge bucket to give Chattanooga back a lead it would ice at the free throw line.
