University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Kimmel Arena Top 10 Games: No. 7 through No. 5
02.09.2021 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Kimmel Arena Top 10 Games (7-5)
Women
#7
UNC Asheville vs. Gardner-Webb (3-4-17): This particular game on the list did not have a dramatic ending or give the Bulldogs a championship. In the end, Asheville's 67-49 win over Gardner-Webb would end a five-game losing streak to the Runnin' Bulldogs. The victory would help continue the Bulldogs' late-season run to another Big South Tournament championship that would happen a week later.
The reason this game is on the list for what happened prior to the game. It was the final home game of the season and it was Senior Day. And it would be one of the most emotional senior days in the history of the UNC Asheville women's program. Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick's first recruiting class was playing its final home game on this day. The quartet of Ja'Da Brayboy, Tianna Knuckles, Chatori Major and KJ Weaver had helped elevate the Bulldog program to new heights which included Asheville's first Big South regular-season championship a year earlier and two straight tournament championships and trips to the NCAA Tournament. While their junior season has been a magical ride from start to finish, their senior season had produced plenty of ups and downs. The season has been inconsistent for most of the year as the Bulldogs had to learn to play the role of the favorite. And one big reason for that inconsistency had been two season-ending injuries to two of the seniors. Both Brayboy and Knuckles were lost midway through the year due to knee injuries.
Usually on Senior Day, the home team's seniors start the game. And the Bulldogs were determined to honor that tradition. Though Brayboy and Knuckles were hobbling and even walking was a chore for the duo, the foursome would start the game. The four were honored in an emotional pre-game ceremony that didn't leave too many dry eyes in attendance at Kimmel that day. And then the starting lineups were announced. Major and Weaver were announced and then came Brayboy and Knuckles being announced. The duo hobbled out to a thunderous ovation and then lined up the opening tip. Through the graciousness of Gardner-Webb head coach Rick Reeves, the Runnin' Bulldogs allowed Asheville to win the tap. The ball went back to Knuckles who then rolled the ball out of bounds giving the ball back to Gardner-Webb. Brayboy and Knuckles would hobble out of the game. It was the last time the two would ever wear a UNC Asheville uniform but it was a moment no one would ever forget.
In the game, the Bulldogs led 41-36 entering the fourth quarter. Asheville put the game away thanks to the play of Weaver and Major in their final home game at Kimmel. The two seniors combined for 18 points in the final period as the Bulldogs cruised to a 67-49 victory. It was a nice victory to end a great day that honored four seniors who had enjoyed fabulous careers.
#6
UNC Asheville vs. Coastal Carolina (2-6-16): The 2015-16 season is one of the greatest seasons in school history. The Bulldogs would win their first ever Big South Conference regular-season championship to date and claim the tournament title at Kimmel Arena (more about that later).
It was a magical regular season that had the Bulldogs begin the season at 9-1. They entered the game with the Chanticleers with a 17-4 overall record and 9-2 mark in Big South play. It was hard not to look ahead to a first-place battle with Liberty coming up the following Saturday.
But first the Bulldogs had to face Coastal Carolina. The Chants were in the final year of Big South play as their athletic program would be leaving the Big South for the Sunbelt Conference the following year. Asheville had beaten CCU earlier in the season in Conway and owned a four-game winning streak against them. The game was televised locally and the Bulldogs appeared to be in good shape for the win as they led 48-41 entering the fourth period.
However, the Chanticleers suddenly got hot from the field and their full-court press began working in a big way. The visitors stunningly scored 17 straight points over a five-minute stretch and led 60-53 with less than four minutes left. Asheville was stunned but didn't panic. The comeback was led by Ja'Da Brayboy. She scored four points and had two steals to cut the lead to 60-59. The game was then tied at 61-61 before CCU hit two free throws at the 19-second mark to put the Chants on top, 63-61. But Brayboy saved the Bulldogs again with a jumper in the lane to tie the game at 63-63 at the 10-second mark. Coastal had a chance to win the game but a last-second shot was well-defended and the Bulldogs escaped to overtime.
Chatori Major would end up being the Big South Player of the Year that season. She would show why in overtime. The junior guard connected on two three-pointers and two free throws as Asheville took charge and went on to win 77-69. It was another magical win in a magical season.
#5
UNC Asheville vs. Liberty (1-18-14): When Liberty was in the Big South Conference, the Flames simply dominated the Big South Conference and most of their opponents. From 1997-2015, Liberty would win 16 Big South Conference championships. They really had their way with UNC Asheville. From 1997 through 2013, the Bulldogs would only beat Liberty twice. Coming into this game, the Bulldogs had not beaten Liberty in Asheville since 1997!!! When the Flames came to Kimmel Arena that day, Liberty had won 16 straight games against the Bulldogs in Asheville.
Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick was in her second year as head coach of the Bulldog program. Asheville went 2-28 in her first year but was much better in her second season. A talented freshman class had made the Bulldogs a lot more competitive. The freshmen had worked well with the returnees and Asheville brought a 4-4 league mark into the game with the first-place Flames.
But Liberty would be a tall obstacle for the Bulldogs. Liberty was 7-2 in league play and in first place like it normally was. The Flames had a tall frontline that towered over Asheville. Sometimes their offensive strategy was to put up a shot and then go rebound until they scored.
The Bulldogs were ready from the start and made a late run to trail by just two at 34-32 at halftime. But early in the second half, Liberty began to dominate inside and quickly built a nine-point lead. This was usually the time when the Flames would simply take over the game and cruise to a victory. But this was a different Asheville team. The Bulldogs would not let Liberty go away. Sophomore Paige Love was everywhere, getting steals, rebounds and scoring. Freshman Ja'Da Brayboy was making an impact as well with her scoring and defense.
Asheville would get close but Liberty would always respond with a key three-point play or a defensive stop. The lead was five at 72-67 with one minute left and it appeared the Flames would escape with the victory. For the Bulldogs, it would be a good effort but not a win. But Asheville was not through battling. Freshman Tianna Knuckles knocked down a long three-pointer to cut the lead to 72-70. The Bulldogs then drew a charge to get the ball with 19 seconds left. Brayboy got into the lane and was fouled. She hit both free throws to knot the contest at 72-72. A Liberty chance to win the game at the buzzer would be denied as Brayboy did not allow any second shots as she cradled the final rebound of regulation.
Both teams exchanged the lead in overtime as Love and Knuckles hit key free throws. Asheville led 81-80 with 15 seconds left. The Flames had the ball and appeared ready to take the lead but out of nowhere Brayboy stole the ball and ran valuable seconds off the clock. She was fouled at the seven-second mark and calmly hit both free throws to give the Bulldogs an 83-80 lead. The Flames never had a chance to tie as junior Brittany Gwyn stole another Liberty pass and Asheville had the upset win.
Liberty would go on to win another Big South championship and it would the next year but this game showed that things were changing. Coming to Asheville was no longer an automatic win for LU. The Flames would only defeat the Bulldogs one more time before leaving the Big South.
Men
#7
UNC Asheville vs. Winthrop (2-22-18): The final regular-season home game of the 2017-18 season would be a championship game. The Bulldogs and Winthrop met in the second-to-last game of the year tied for first place. Whoever won the game would have a leg up on winning the regular-season championship and hosting the Big South Conference Tournament a week later.
Asheville was the favorite to win the Big South regular-season title but it had been a bumpy road. The Bulldogs had to overcome some injuries and some up-and-down play throughout the year. Winthrop had destroyed Asheville a month earlier in Rock Hill. The Bulldogs had recovered with a dominating win at Liberty and a miraculous victory at home over Radford when MaCio Teague hit three long three-pointers in the final 90 second of the contest. In addition, senior forward Ahmad Thomas had been hit with an injury which allowed him to play but not practice.
It was Senior Night and it would be an emotional evening before the game even started. The Bulldogs would have to say good-bye to the winningest senior class in school history. The seniors were Raekwon Miller, Ahmad Thomas, Kevin Vannatta and Alec Wnuk. The quartet would lead Asheville to two Big South regular-season titles, one tournament title, three post-season appearances and 80 wins.
When the game started, the Bulldogs quickly showed that there would be no rout from Winthrop on this evening. Teague was red-hot and scored 18 points in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 43-37 halftime lead. In the second half, Miller took over. The former walk-on from Marion scored nine points early in the first five minutes as Asheville expanded its lead to 58-41. Another trey from Miller pushed the margin to 69-48 with 10 minutes left.
Winthrop began to rally and then Thomas went down with an injury. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year left the court limping as the close-to-sellout crowd was stunned. The Eagles took advantage and cut the lead to 10 with four minutes left.
But then doing his best Willis Reed impression, Thomas came out of the locker room and raced to the scorers table to check into the game.
Ahmad was not going to let the Bulldogs lose this game. He quickly grabbed a defensive rebound. Thomas then knocked down a long three-pointer to stymy the last-ditch Eagle comeback as the crowd roared its approval. Ahmad put an exclamation point on the win when he finished Asheville's scoring with a vicious slam-dunk with 30 seconds left.
The win allowed the Bulldogs to clinch at least a tie for a regular-season title. They would win it outright on the final day of the regular season when the Eagles were upset by Charleston Southern.
Teague led all scorers with 23 points. Thomas contributed 21 points and five assists. Miller chipped in 19 points and knocked down four long three-pointers. Sophomore Jonathan Baehre, held to one point in the first game against Winthrop, erupted for 16 points and five blocked shots. It was a night to remember and a Senior Night that would be hard to top as the Bulldogs were victorious 89-75.
#6
UNC Asheville vs. Furman (12-28-15): The Bulldogs were the surprise team of the early part of the 2015-16 season and that would continue the rest of the campaign. This would be the final non-conference game of the year as the Bulldogs would play Big South Conference games the rest of the way.
Asheville would be tested by a Furman Paladin team that was also enjoying a surprising season. Furman would go on to have a great year and play in post-season for the first time in close to 20 years. But the Bulldogs were ready to play in their first game after Christmas. Kevin Vannatta would score 12 points in the opening half and help Asheville to a 30-24 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Bulldogs maintained a lead for most of the half but the Paladins simply would not let Asheville control the contest. But then a freshman would take over for the Dogs in the final moments.
With the game tied at 60-60, Dylan Smith would hit two free throws to put Asheville in front 62-60 at the 1:30 mark. Furman would respond with a three-point possession to go up 63-62 with 45 seconds left. Smith would quickly respond with a long three-pointer to put the Bulldogs back on top, 65-63.
Furman tied the game on two free throws at 65-65. Asheville would play for one shot and Smith would be glad to take that shot. He took the ball, backed his defender down and calmly hit an 18-footer with one second remaining to put the Dogs in front 67-65. After the game, the rookie guard was mad at himself for taking the shot too early. He wanted no time on the clock when he scored his winning bucket. The Bulldogs were able to survive Dylan's "mistake" and held on for the dramatic win.
It was another great victory in a season that would have a few more.
#5
UNC Asheville vs. UNC Chapel Hill (11-11-11): The first official game in Kimmel Arena might be a little higher on this list if the Bulldogs could have pulled off an incredible upset. But it was still a great day and day no one would ever forget.
The first inklings that UNC Asheville would get a new arena came in the summer of 2004 when the North Carolina legislature approved money for the building. It took time like any building project but construction began in 2008 and was done in less than three years.
While the building was being built, UNC Asheville Athletics Director Janet Cone and Chancellor Anne Ponder negotiated with Asheville native and Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams to bring his club to town and be the inaugural game for the new building. Ponder went to high school at TC Roberson with Williams. The Hall of Fame coach was gracious enough to say that he would be honored to for his club to be the first game at Kimmel Arena.
And with years of planning, the big day finally arrived for the opening of Kimmel Arena in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center. The game was a sell-out and was sold out so quickly that there was never a public sale of tickets. This helped ensure it would be a true home game for UNC Asheville.
The team Coach Williams brought into Kimmel Arena was a very good team. Chapel Hill had gone to the Final Four a year earlier and were ranked No. 1 in the country. The Tar Heels opened the season two days earlier by beating second-ranked Michigan State on an aircraft carrier in San Diego.
However, they'd face a pretty good Bulldog team. Asheville had captured the Big South Conference Tournament championship a year earlier and had given the Tar Heels a good battle in Chapel Hill before falling, 80-69. The Bulldogs won the 2011 tournament by stunning Coastal Carolina on their homecourt, 60-47. Asheville then played in the First Four in Dayton and got the NCAA Tournament to a rousing start with a thrilling 81-77 overtime victory over Arkansas Little Rock. The Bulldogs' season would end a few days later against top-seed Pittsburgh. But with most of the team returning and a new building to play in, expectations for UNC Asheville basketball had never been higher.
The game would be televised nationally by ESPNU with former Duke great Jay Williams providing the color on the game. Grammy Award winning artist Bruce Hornsby would perform on a piano and provide a stirring rendition of the national anthem. With a sell-out crowd on hand to cheer the Bulldogs on, the game would finally get under way.
The Bulldogs fought hard for 40 minutes but the Tar Heels' height and strength were too much, downing Asheville 80-69. Asheville would never let the visitors blow the game open. Senior guard JP Primm was ready for the moment and torched the Tar Heels for 23 points. Jaron Lane would make his first career start a memorable one by scoring 21 points. Matt Dickey, the Big South Preseason Player of the Year, chipped in 14 points.
But future NBA players' Tyler Zeller, John Henson and Harrison Barnes would combine for 64 points with Zeller scoring 27. The trio would give a lot more opponents trouble throughout the year. The core of this team would win the 2009 National Championship.
Afterwards, Williams joked how he didn't think he would be booed in his hometown. He then talked how it was okay to be booed because that meant that the fans were supporting UNC Asheville. Williams reflected on what a big-time atmosphere he felt that day in Asheville and how proud he was of his hometown supporting the home team. Tar Heel players talked about how they loved the atmosphere and how glad they were that they wouldn't be playing UNC Asheville anytime soon. One Tar Heel predicted – "That team (UNC Asheville) is going to win a lot of games this year."
It was a loss but the game was a great experience for all involved. Many fans who bought season tickets just to come to that game kept coming throughout the season to see the Bulldogs enjoy a remarkable year.
