Kimmel Arena's Top 10 Games: No. 4 through No. 2

Editors Note: This season is the 10^th year that Kimmel Arena has been hosting UNC Asheville men's and women's basketball. We thought it would be fun to rank the top 10 games for each program from former UNC Asheville Sports Information Director Mike Gore.

WOMEN

UNC Asheville vs. Campbell (3-11-16): UNC Asheville would begin its march toward a Big South Tournament Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over a nemesis that had spoiled Senior Day just a few weeks earlier. The Bulldogs won their first Big South regular-season title on the final day of the regular season with a decisive victory over High Point at Justice Center, while Liberty was losing at home to PC. Campbell finished the regular season as the eighth-seed and advanced to the quarterfinals with a dramatic victory over Coastal Carolina as the Camels hit a last-second shot to win. Campbell came into the quarterfinal match-up brimming with confidence. They had stunned Asheville on Senior Day 64-56 just two weeks earlier. Veteran Campbell coach Wanda Watkins had dominated the Bulldogs during her career and since rejoining the Big South, the Camels had never lost at Kimmel Arena and were 9-1 vs. Asheville overall. Several Campbell players expressed confidence after their last-second victory over Coastal the day before. There were also questions about how the Bulldogs would handle the role of being the top seed? Asheville had never been in this position before. How would they handle being at home for the tournament? Would the pressure get to them playing before a big crowd?

The answer would come quickly. The Bulldogs would be just fine. With a crowd of close to 2000 fans cheering Asheville on, the home team jumped on the Camels quickly, building a 13-2 lead after three minutes of play. The Bulldogs' defense was locked in and Asheville's sharpshooters were knocking down shots. Freshman Jessica Wall hit a long three at the end of opening period to put the Bulldogs in front 23-11.

Big South Player of the Year Chatori Major showed why in the second period, hitting three three-pointers as the lead quickly expanded. One amazing play had the crowd on its feet when senior Paige Love dove to save a loose ball which led to a fast-break opportunity. A wide-open Major nailed a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 42-22 lead. Asheville led 45-24 at halftime.

There would be no letup in the third quarter. The Bulldogs scored the first nine points of the period to put the home team in front 53-24 over the shell-shocked Camels. It was 63-30 going into the fourth quarter as Asheville would pick up the quarterfinal win, 80-42.

Khaila Webb led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while Major chipped in 14 points. Asheville's defense forced 20 Campbell turnovers which resulted in 21 points. It was the first step toward a championship.

UNC Asheville vs. Liberty (2-13-16): Another step toward a championship in 2016 came during the regular-season when the Bulldogs took on defending Big South champion Liberty in a first-place battle at Kimmel Arena. The teams came in tied for first place in the regular season with 12-2 marks.

For Liberty, this was nothing new. The Flames were picked to win the Big South Conference and had won the league title the previous season. But for Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick's team this was a whole new experience. Asheville had been a preseason pick to finish in eighth place but had quickly showed that wasn't going to happen as the Bulldogs began the season 9-1 and had been in first place in the league since the start of conference play.

However, one of those losses had been at Liberty in early January. The Bulldogs came in at 4-0 in conference play but showed some nervousness in a 71-53 defeat to the Flames. It appeared with that loss that order had been restored to the Big South. However, Asheville had won eight of its next nine games and showed the Flames it wasn't going anywhere.

It was easily the biggest regular season women's game in Kimmel Arena history. The Bulldogs were determined to make a statement against Liberty that showed the last game was an aberration. The Flames wanted a sweep of the Bulldogs that would just about ensure LU of winning the regular-season title.

Asheville's defense and rebounding did a great job in the second quarter as Liberty was limited to just eight points, while senior Paige Love and freshman Sonora Dengokl combined for 13 points in the period to help the Bulldogs to a 29-22 halftime lead. A crowd of close to 1,600 Asheville fans roared its approval.

The third quarter showed Asheville's balance with six different players scoring in the period as the Bulldogs raced to a 45-33 lead. Freshman Jessica Wall knocked down a three-pointer to give the home team a double-digit lead late in the quarter.

Liberty would not go away quietly. An early 14-point Bulldog lead quickly evaporated to one at 49-48 with 2:30 left. The Flames' massive size began to control the paint and Asheville hit a cold spell from the field.

Sophomore Khaila Webb came through with a jumper to put the Bulldogs up 51-48 with 1:50 left. After getting a key bucket, Asheville was able to get a key defensive stop. Liberty guard Mickayla Sanders drove to the basket, looking for a three-point play but the Bulldogs were ready for her. Asheville drew a charge with 50 seconds left.

Love would help seal the game when she scored on a driving layup to push the margin to 53-48. Asheville hit three free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory. It was a dramatic 56-51 win for the Bulldogs but these two teams would play another dramatic game and we'll talk about that soon.

What made the win satisfying for Asheville is that the Bulldogs did not have a great game on offense. Only Dengokl scored in double figures with 10 points. Asheville shot just 38 percent from the field and only made three-pointers on the day. But the home team allowed Liberty to shoot just 35 percent from the field. The Bulldogs were only outrebounded 40-36 against the taller Flames. It was a close and tense affair that was a harbinger of things to come.

UNC Asheville vs. Furman (11-9-13): This was a great game regardless, but it had an ending that made everybody forget about what happened in the prior 39 minutes and 59 seconds.

It was Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick's second year as head coach at Asheville. The Bulldogs had struggled to a 2-28 record in her first season but a great recruiting class was being brought into the program plus a number of players who had been hurt the year before were now healthy and ready to go. It was the opening game for both teams and all Bulldog fans were excited.

The first half was exciting as both teams traded the lead back-and-forth. Furman made a late run and led by six late in the opening half. But Brittany Gwyn hit back-to-back 3-pointers as Asheville led 34-30 at halftime.

In the second half, Asheville got hot from the three-point line and expanded the lead to 46-36. But Furman clamped down on defense and scored the next 15 points to suddenly lead 51-46. Would this young team wilt?

No way. The Bulldogs would rally and even take a four-point lead late in the contest. Furman rallied and tied the game 65-65 on two free throws with 1:30 left. Each team would have a chance to take a lead over the next minutes but neither team could score. The Bulldogs had the ball with less than 30 seconds left and a chance to take the lead but Shonese Jones' shot would fall short with 12 seconds remaining.

Furman got the rebound and set up for a last-second shot. The Paladins went for the win and to their best player Holli Wilkins. Asheville had her well-covered and her shot was short. The Bulldogs were able to battle for the rebound and picked it up. The ball would land in the hands of sophomore Paige Love.

Love got the ball with two seconds left and moved away from the Furman defense. She then put up a 65-foot shot from just beyond Furman's foul line. It headed straight toward the basket. The shot hit the backboard and went through the nets. The longest made shot in Kimmel Arena was a game-winner!!! Paige's shot had been taken before the buzzer sounded and counted. The Bulldogs had won their opening game in about as dramatic fashion as you could, 68-65.

The shot was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter that night and the next day as one of its top plays of the day.

While the victory was incredibly dramatic, the good thing for Asheville is that it had gone eyeball-to-eyeball with one of the Southern Conference's top teams and had come out on top. It sent a message that the Bulldog program was on the way back and this game was the start of that comeback.

MEN

UNC Asheville vs. Radford (2-10-18): This game would be one of the most dramatic victories not just at Kimmel Arena but in school history. And thanks to a very enthusiastic radio broadcast over the final few seconds, the ending of the contest would receive national attention.

The Bulldogs were the favorites to win the 2018 Big South championship and had overcome some injuries and inconsistent play to move into first place in the league standings. Asheville had won six games in a row after a disastrous 30-point loss at Winthrop that was seen on national television.

But standing in the Bulldogs' way to keep the winning streak going was a tough Radford squad. Asheville was going through a golden era with its senior class and the last three years had seen the Bulldogs be one of the dominating teams in the Big South.

But not with the Highlanders. Radford had been a major thorn for the Dogs in that they had only beaten the Highlanders once over those three years. Radford had gleefully routed Asheville early in conference play with a 90-70 victory at the Dedmon Center. RU was a tough match-up for the Dogs.

And they would be tough once again. Asheville used red-hot shooting in the first half to take a 42-36 lead at intermission but in the second half, the Highlanders' defense and rebounding would shut the Bulldogs down. They would slowly take charge of the game and when future Big South Player of the Year Carlik Jones scored on a layup, the Dogs trailed 64-57 with under two minutes left.

And then MaCio Teague took over. The sophomore standout had been held in check for the most part by the Highlanders. But he managed to knock down a three-pointer with 1:15 left to cut the lead to 64-60 and stop some Bulldog fans from leaving the game. A clutch blocked shot by Raekwon Miller would deny the Highlanders an inside bucket. Teague would get the rebound and take the ball to the right side where he hit another long three-pointer to narrow the margin to 64-63.

Fans were rushing back to their seats and now the game was getting interesting. Jones would miss an open jumper on Radford's next possession and Asheville had a chance to take the lead. Ahmad Thomas found Teague open for just a second and his long three-pointer from the right side hit nothing but net to put the Dogs in front, 66-64 with eight second left. Meanwhile, Asheville's color commentator on its radio network started screaming about the shot going in and then reminded the Bulldogs to get back on defense.

Radford chose not to take a timeout and just try and win the game right there but a last-second shot but the Highlanders' Christian Bradford was short and the Dogs had a miraculous victory.

All three shots by Teague were amazing and the radio call was borderline maniacal. It made for good TV and a few hours later, ESPN would feature the shot and excited radio call throughout the evening.

It was a huge win for the Bulldogs and kept them in first place in the Big South. In addition, Asheville got some amazing publicity for the winning contest. It was a game no one would ever forget.

UNC Asheville vs. VMI (3-3-12): The first season of Kimmel Arena would culminate with the Bulldogs playing for a Big South championship.

Much was expected from UNC Asheville in the 2011-12 season. Asheville was a preseason pick to win the Big South in its initial season in Kimmel Arena and that is exactly what they did. Eddie Biedenbach's club was so dominant that it clinched the regular-season title with three weeks left in the regular season. The regular-season crown would mean that Asheville would host the 2012 Big South Tournament for at least the quarterfinals and semifinals and the championship game if it qualified.

When the tournament arrived, the Bulldogs were ready. They routed a talented High Point squad in the quarterfinals, 86-61 and then roared past fourth-seeded Charleston Southern in the semifinals, 91-64.

Most people expected to see Asheville in the finals but also thought the Bulldogs would be playing second-seeded Coastal Carolina or third-seeded Campbell in the finals. But both those clubs were upset in the quarterfinals. Asheville would face a dangerous seventh-seeded VMI in the title game at Kimmel.

The Keydets had barely gotten out of the first round with a last-second win over Radford but once they got to Asheville, they were ready to go. VMI's high-octane offense had blown out second-seeded Coastal Carolina and sixth-seeded Winthrop. The Keydets had been the nation's tops scoring team under head coach Duggar Baucom and had been a team no one had wanted to play come tournament time.

With a sell-out crowd of more than 3,200 fans on hand, Kimmel Arena was full of excitement as the game started. The contest was televised nationally by ESPN and was the first championship game of Championship Week. Asheville scored the first six points of the game and led the entire first half but it could not shake a determined VMI team. JP Primm scored 11 points in the first half as the Bulldogs led 36-35 at halftime.

The Keydets and Bulldogs battled through the first six minutes of the second half with the game being tied. Finally after the first media timeout, Asheville began to make its run. The home team scored the next nine points to race to a 56-47 lead. Senior center Quinard Jackson began the run with a basket and the culminated the run with another hoop.

VMI, playing its fifth game in seven days, was starting to get tired. The Bulldogs sensed blood and turned up the heat both offensively and defensively. Asheville got every loose ball and scored on just about every possession. Jeremy Atkinson would score 10 points in a five-minute span that turned a six-point game into a 20-point margin.

The Bulldogs were up 20 with three minutes to go and the only question now was what the final score would be (80-64). As the crowd roared louder, it was obvious that that Asheville's first year in Kimmel Arena was going to result in a championship.

The clock struck zeros and a sellout crowd stormed the floor to celebrate the Bulldogs' second straight tournament championship. It was Asheville's fourth Big South tournament but first in front of its home fans.

Nets were cut down and awards were handed out. Jeremy Atkinson and Chris Stephenson made the All-Tournament team with Primm being named MVP. JP had been stunningly placed on the second-team All-Conference squad despite having a banner season. The senior made up for it with an outstanding tournament.

Much was expected from the 2011-12 Bulldog team but they had delivered in a big way. The first season in Kimmel Arena had been a championship season.

UNC Asheville vs. Winthrop (1-6-16): This game is not just one of the greatest ever to be played at Kimmel Arena but it also produced the greatest comeback in school history.

The 2015-16 season had been a pleasant surprise for UNC Asheville so far. The Bulldogs had been picked eighth in the Big South preseason poll but had surprised everybody with their surprising play. Asheville had been in every game and already posted impressive non-conference wins over Furman, ETSU, Loyola-Chicago and Georgetown. They had opened Big South play with a decisive home win over Campbell and clutch road wins at Longwood and Liberty.

But in came Winthrop to Kimmel Arena to give Asheville a big test. The Eagles had won the last four meetings over the Bulldogs and had easily beaten Asheville twice a year earlier. Winthrop had a veteran back determined to win a Big South championship as the Eagles had gotten to the title game for two straight years before falling short.

And for the first half it appeared the Bulldogs simply did not match up with Winthrop. The Eagles quickly built a 10-point lead and the home team was doing a good job to stay within 10. Late in the first half, Winthrop went on a three-point scoring spree. When Keon Johnson's trey went through the net as the first half buzzer sounded the visitors had a 55-37 halftime lead.

It got worse early in the second half and when Jimmy Gavin scored on a three-point play, the Winthrop lead had ballooned to 64-41 with 15 minutes remaining.

But this surprising and young Asheville squad was not going to go down that easily at home. The Bulldogs went to a full-court press and it seemed to rattle the visitors a little bit. Asheville began to attack the rim with vengeance and was getting to the free throw line, while Winthrop was started to accumulate fouls. A rookie named Dwayne Sutton was helping to lead the comeback with free throws, steals and rebounds. Suddenly, Asheville was within 12 at 66-54 at the 11-minute mark.

Winthrop briefly got the lead back to 16 but the Bulldogs refused to go away. A walk-on named Raekwon Miller was taking advantage of his first significant playing time as a Bulldog by knocking down long three-pointers and getting steals. His NBA trey with 5:30 left carved the Eagle lead to 75-73 and the crowd at Kimmel was as loud as any arena in the country that night.

Winthrop managed to get the lead back to 81-76 with three minutes remaining but the Dogs had one more run in them. A trey from Kevin Vannatta cut the lead to 81-79. Sutton would not be denied on the next trip down the floor. He got into the paint, missed two shots, got a rebound each time and was finally fouled. His two free throws tied the game at 81-81. A jumper from Sam Hughes pushed Asheville in front 83-81 with 1:30 left.

Winthrop would not go away quietly. They would hit two free throws to tie the game at 83-83 and another to take an 84-83 lead at the 35-second mark.

The Bulldogs wasted no time in taking the lead again. Miller, playing like a seasoned veteran, read the Winthrop defense and made a perfect bounce pass to Ahmad Thomas. The junior spun around the Eagle defenders and scored to put the home team in front 85-84 with 24 seconds remaining.

The Thomas basket set up a wild and crazy finish. With Winthrop planning to play for the final shot, the Bulldogs trapped Eagle guard Keon Johnson. Johnson had the ball stolen away by Sutton and the rookie raced down the court with time winding down as it appeared Asheville had completed the amazing comeback.

But in his path to the Bulldog goal, Sutton had inadvertently elbowed a Winthrop player and was correctly called for an offensive foul. The officials put six seconds on the clock and the Eagles would have one more chance to win.

Johnson, Winthrop's top scorer, put up a long three-pointer but the shot was long. Sam Hughes cradled the final rebound and the Bulldogs had made the greatest comeback in school history. Asheville won 85-84.

There were plenty of heroes who contributed to the win. Hughes led the Bulldogs with 21 points. Vannatta added 20 points and eight rebounds. Thomas and Sutton finished with 13 points each. But the biggest surprise was Miller. With the Bulldogs down a few players, Miller had stepped up in a huge way. He tallied 16 points and knocked down four long three-pointers. The sophomore from nearby Marion had two steals and a clutch assist on the winning basket.

The comeback win was the biggest in the NCAA that year and was a game no one in Kimmel Arena would ever forget.