University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men’s basketball hosts Gardner-Webb Thursday on ESPNU at 7:00 PM
01.26.2022 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team will host a game on ESPNU for the first time since 2018 on Thursday, facing off with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m.
Who: UNC Asheville (11-8, 3-3 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb (9-10, 3-3 Big South)
When: Thursday (1/26) at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Asheville, N.C. – Kimmel Arena
How to Follow
Watch: ESPNU
Listen: ESPN Asheville
Stats: Live
Back on the U
The appearance will be the 13th for Asheville as part of the Big South ESPNU Wildcard Series. The Bulldogs most recently appeared on ESPNU on January 13 when they faced Winthrop in Rock Hill. The last time Asheville hosted a game on ESPNU was February 22, 2018, when it defeated Winthrop 89-75 to clinch a share of the Big South Regular-Season Title.
Domination by Drew
Drew Pember continued his stellar play this past Saturday, scoring a career-high 41 points to go with 11 rebounds in a 78-74 overtime victory at Radford. Pember, who became the eighth Bulldog to score 40-plus points, was the first Big South player to record a 40-point, 10-rebound double-double since 2013. The forward/center went 11-for-19 from the floor, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 15-for-16 from the free-throw line. Pember, who currently ranks fourth in the nation in blocks (3.63) and fifth in blocks (69), is 47th in the nation in free-throw percentage (87.5) and is the only non-guard to rank in the top 50 in that category. For his efforts, Pember was named the Big South Player of the Week for the third time since December 13, matching the school record for most weekly awards in a season.
Stopping the Slide
Not only did the Bulldogs snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday, Asheville picked up its first win at Radford since December 31, 2014. Tajion Jones played a crucial role in the win, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds with a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the charity stripe. As a team, the Bulldogs went 28-for-32 from the free-throw line and improve to 6-2 when Jones scores 15 or more points this season.
Defending the Three
Another key to victory Saturday was its ability to defend the three ball, holding the Highlanders to just 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. On the season, Asheville is holding its opponents to just 26.5 percent shooting from downtown (4th, NCAA), and are 10-3 when holding the opposition to 40 percent of below shooting from deep.
Scouting the Runnin' Bulldogs
The Bulldogs and Runnin' Bulldogs split the season series last year, with Asheville's 79-75 victory in game one giving Mike Morrell his first win in the series and the team its first victory in Boiling Springs since 2015. Gardner-Webb would take the rematch a day later, with Tajion Jones becoming the 37th member of the 1,000-point club at Asheville (Jones currently ranks 18th with 1,311 points, 10th in DI era). Like Asheville, Gardner-Webb plays strong defense highlighted by three-point field goal percentage defense (28.1, 12th DI) and its ability to defend the rim, totaling 102 blocks (17th DI) with an average of 5.4 blocks per game (20th). The Runnin' Bulldogs also lead the conference in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to 39.5 percent shooting this season. Lance Terry and D'Maurian Williams are the two-headed monster on offense for Gardner-Webb, averaging 14.1 and 13.8 points per game. In league play, Lance has bumped his average to 15.3 points per game, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor.
Who: UNC Asheville (11-8, 3-3 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb (9-10, 3-3 Big South)
When: Thursday (1/26) at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Asheville, N.C. – Kimmel Arena
How to Follow
Watch: ESPNU
Listen: ESPN Asheville
Stats: Live
Back on the U
The appearance will be the 13th for Asheville as part of the Big South ESPNU Wildcard Series. The Bulldogs most recently appeared on ESPNU on January 13 when they faced Winthrop in Rock Hill. The last time Asheville hosted a game on ESPNU was February 22, 2018, when it defeated Winthrop 89-75 to clinch a share of the Big South Regular-Season Title.
Domination by Drew
Drew Pember continued his stellar play this past Saturday, scoring a career-high 41 points to go with 11 rebounds in a 78-74 overtime victory at Radford. Pember, who became the eighth Bulldog to score 40-plus points, was the first Big South player to record a 40-point, 10-rebound double-double since 2013. The forward/center went 11-for-19 from the floor, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 15-for-16 from the free-throw line. Pember, who currently ranks fourth in the nation in blocks (3.63) and fifth in blocks (69), is 47th in the nation in free-throw percentage (87.5) and is the only non-guard to rank in the top 50 in that category. For his efforts, Pember was named the Big South Player of the Week for the third time since December 13, matching the school record for most weekly awards in a season.
Stopping the Slide
Not only did the Bulldogs snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday, Asheville picked up its first win at Radford since December 31, 2014. Tajion Jones played a crucial role in the win, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds with a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the charity stripe. As a team, the Bulldogs went 28-for-32 from the free-throw line and improve to 6-2 when Jones scores 15 or more points this season.
Defending the Three
Another key to victory Saturday was its ability to defend the three ball, holding the Highlanders to just 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. On the season, Asheville is holding its opponents to just 26.5 percent shooting from downtown (4th, NCAA), and are 10-3 when holding the opposition to 40 percent of below shooting from deep.
Scouting the Runnin' Bulldogs
The Bulldogs and Runnin' Bulldogs split the season series last year, with Asheville's 79-75 victory in game one giving Mike Morrell his first win in the series and the team its first victory in Boiling Springs since 2015. Gardner-Webb would take the rematch a day later, with Tajion Jones becoming the 37th member of the 1,000-point club at Asheville (Jones currently ranks 18th with 1,311 points, 10th in DI era). Like Asheville, Gardner-Webb plays strong defense highlighted by three-point field goal percentage defense (28.1, 12th DI) and its ability to defend the rim, totaling 102 blocks (17th DI) with an average of 5.4 blocks per game (20th). The Runnin' Bulldogs also lead the conference in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to 39.5 percent shooting this season. Lance Terry and D'Maurian Williams are the two-headed monster on offense for Gardner-Webb, averaging 14.1 and 13.8 points per game. In league play, Lance has bumped his average to 15.3 points per game, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor.
Players Mentioned
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