University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Wednesday, January 19
Asheville, N.C.
6:30 PM
UNC Asheville
10-8,2-3Big South
71
vs
73
North Carolina A&T
9-10,4-1Big South
1
2
F
N.C. A&T
32
41
73
UNC Asheville
36
35
71
Men’s basketball rallies, edged out by North Carolina A&T 73-71
01.19.2022 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Trailing by five with under a minute to play, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team cut the deficit to one, setting up a look from Tajion Jones that fell short as North Carolina A&T topped the Bulldogs 73-71 at Kimmel Arena on Wednesday evening.
What's Next
The loss moves Asheville's record to 10-8 on the season and just 2-3 in Big South play, while North Carolina improves to 9-10 with a 4-1 start to their Big South Conference tenure. The Bulldogs return to the court Saturday, traveling to Radford for a 2:00 p.m. tip with the Highlanders.
"They're really talented, they got great length, they throw a lot of different defenses." said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell of North Carolina A&T. "In the last 12 minutes of the game we just weren't able to secure a rebound. A lot of balls out there being tapped around and we couldn't grab them and that was the game. Three games in a row where it comes down to the final possession…we've got to try to find a way to fix it."
Standout Stats
Coty Jude, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since early November, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early as the Bulldogs led 18-12 at the midway point of the first. Pember would get rolling, knocking down a three, scoring in the lane and hitting four free throws as Asheville pushed its lead to 14 with under five to play. From here, North Carolina A&T embarked on a 12-2 run to close the half down just four.
Jones began to get in rhythm in the second, but A&T was there to answer before a David Beatty 3-pointer gave the Aggies a 54-52 advantage with 10 minutes to play. The Aggies would increase their lead to six and would take a 70-65 lead with 53 seconds to play. Jones connected from downtown on back-to-back possessions to make the score 72-71, and after Justin Whatley hit one of two from the line had one last look for the win, but no whistle was blown as the 3-point attempt fell short to give A&T the victory.
More from Morrell
On Coty Jude and Tajion Jones
"Tay had a tough game last game shooting wise which is rare for him and Coty's been a staple around here for a while so it's good to see those guys respond offensively."
On Bouncing Back:
"We just have to get back to being us. It's not like we are far away just when it comes winning time in the last six minutes of the game you have to give the team only one shot. That's reared its head the last few games and we have to do a better job."
What's Next
The loss moves Asheville's record to 10-8 on the season and just 2-3 in Big South play, while North Carolina improves to 9-10 with a 4-1 start to their Big South Conference tenure. The Bulldogs return to the court Saturday, traveling to Radford for a 2:00 p.m. tip with the Highlanders.
"They're really talented, they got great length, they throw a lot of different defenses." said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell of North Carolina A&T. "In the last 12 minutes of the game we just weren't able to secure a rebound. A lot of balls out there being tapped around and we couldn't grab them and that was the game. Three games in a row where it comes down to the final possession…we've got to try to find a way to fix it."
Standout Stats
- Drew Pember scores 20 points for fourth straight game
- Jones scores 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting (5 three-pointers)
- Aggies convert 21 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points
Coty Jude, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since early November, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early as the Bulldogs led 18-12 at the midway point of the first. Pember would get rolling, knocking down a three, scoring in the lane and hitting four free throws as Asheville pushed its lead to 14 with under five to play. From here, North Carolina A&T embarked on a 12-2 run to close the half down just four.
Jones began to get in rhythm in the second, but A&T was there to answer before a David Beatty 3-pointer gave the Aggies a 54-52 advantage with 10 minutes to play. The Aggies would increase their lead to six and would take a 70-65 lead with 53 seconds to play. Jones connected from downtown on back-to-back possessions to make the score 72-71, and after Justin Whatley hit one of two from the line had one last look for the win, but no whistle was blown as the 3-point attempt fell short to give A&T the victory.
More from Morrell
On Coty Jude and Tajion Jones
"Tay had a tough game last game shooting wise which is rare for him and Coty's been a staple around here for a while so it's good to see those guys respond offensively."
On Bouncing Back:
"We just have to get back to being us. It's not like we are far away just when it comes winning time in the last six minutes of the game you have to give the team only one shot. That's reared its head the last few games and we have to do a better job."
Team Stats
NCA&T
UNC-A
FG%
.439
.440
3FG%
.400
.414
FT%
.733
.789
RB
41
30
TO
11
14
STL
8
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
10
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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