University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, January 29
Clinton, S.C.
4:00 p.m.
UNC Asheville
12-9,4-4Big South
68
at
67
Presbyterian
9-13,1-6Big South
1
2
F
UNC Asheville
28
40
68
Presbyterian
26
41
67
Photo courtesy of Presbyterian Athletics
Thorpe scores 28 as Men’s Basketball grabs 68-67 win at Presbyterian
01.29.2022 | Men's Basketball
CLINTON, S.C. – The UNC Asheville Men's Basketball team traveled to Clinton, South Carolina Saturday afternoon, getting 28 points from LJ Thorpe and a pair of huge defensive plays in the final minutes to pick up a big 68-67 road win.
The Bulldogs trailed by three with just under four to play, but Thorpe scored and a Drew Pember block that led to a dunk put Asheville in front by one. After the Bulldogs extended their lead to three, Tajion Jones blocked a 3-point attempt in the corner and the defensive pressure of Asheville forced a turnover with four seconds remaining, leading to free throws from Thorpe to ice the game.
Where they Stand
The win improves Asheville's overall record to 12-9, and moves the Bulldogs to an even 4-4 in conference play. Presbyterian, meanwhile, falls to 9-13 and 1-6 in Big South competition. The Bulldogs have a tough test ahead of them Wednesday, hosting Longwood (15-5, 7-0) at 6:30 p.m.
"It feels good but the same thing happened last week," UNC Asheville head coach Mike Morrell said of the road win. "We evened it up to come back home and we've got to do a better job of protecting Kimmel Arena. Obviously it's against the top team in the league right now in Longwood so anything less than our best won't get it done."
Standout Stats
On Thorpe's play:
"LJ's not really a bench guy, it's just what he's been the last few games. Nobody has meant more to our program the last few years. He's had a tough few weeks but I'm really proud of his response. He led the effort today, he was terrific in huddles. Grabbing rebounds. I thought it was his best performance of the year and we needed every second of it."
On the defensive plays late:
"They just did what we asked them to do. In the moment here, we have to try to make a play, make a stop. We drew up something we thought they were going to run and they ended up running it. Guys did a great job not letting the ball in and making the catch hard. When we needed a stop tonight we got it. Another really close game at the end for us."
How it Happened
Pember opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers as the Bulldogs took a slight lead early. With under eight to play, Presbyterian would take its first lead since the 17-minute mark as the teams traded buckets and the lead down the stretch. With the Blue Hose holding a 26-25 advantage, Thorpe drilled a step-back three to send Asheville into the half with a two-point advantage.
Thorpe picked up where he left off in the first, scoring through contact as the Bulldogs jumped ahead 38-34. The Blue Hose responded and jumped in front 43-40 but Thorpe would continue to get to the line as the game went back-and-forth. With just under three to play, Presbyterian held onto a 59-56 advantage, Thorpe scored and Pember swatted a Blue Hose attack, slamming it home on the other end as Asheville pulled in front by one.
Free throws would make the score 64-61, and with Presbyterian looking to equalize,Jones blocked a corner 3-pointer and Trent Stephney knocked down a free throw as the lead extended to four. Reigning freshman of the year Rayshon Harrison answered with a three next time down, and a Pember free throw made the score 66-64 with 4.1 seconds on the clock. Swarming defense from the Bulldogs would force a five-second call as Thorpe knocked down two more free throws to put the game out of reach for the Blue Hose.
The Bulldogs trailed by three with just under four to play, but Thorpe scored and a Drew Pember block that led to a dunk put Asheville in front by one. After the Bulldogs extended their lead to three, Tajion Jones blocked a 3-point attempt in the corner and the defensive pressure of Asheville forced a turnover with four seconds remaining, leading to free throws from Thorpe to ice the game.
Where they Stand
The win improves Asheville's overall record to 12-9, and moves the Bulldogs to an even 4-4 in conference play. Presbyterian, meanwhile, falls to 9-13 and 1-6 in Big South competition. The Bulldogs have a tough test ahead of them Wednesday, hosting Longwood (15-5, 7-0) at 6:30 p.m.
"It feels good but the same thing happened last week," UNC Asheville head coach Mike Morrell said of the road win. "We evened it up to come back home and we've got to do a better job of protecting Kimmel Arena. Obviously it's against the top team in the league right now in Longwood so anything less than our best won't get it done."
Standout Stats
- Thorpe scores season-high 28 points, goes 10-of-12 from the free-throw line
- 5-second call, Jones block and free throws seal game
- First win at Presbyterian since January 12, 2018 (first for Morrell)
- Pember totals 18 points, 9 rebounds
- Pember has grabbed 7+ rebounds in 11 games this season
On Thorpe's play:
"LJ's not really a bench guy, it's just what he's been the last few games. Nobody has meant more to our program the last few years. He's had a tough few weeks but I'm really proud of his response. He led the effort today, he was terrific in huddles. Grabbing rebounds. I thought it was his best performance of the year and we needed every second of it."
On the defensive plays late:
"They just did what we asked them to do. In the moment here, we have to try to make a play, make a stop. We drew up something we thought they were going to run and they ended up running it. Guys did a great job not letting the ball in and making the catch hard. When we needed a stop tonight we got it. Another really close game at the end for us."
How it Happened
Pember opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers as the Bulldogs took a slight lead early. With under eight to play, Presbyterian would take its first lead since the 17-minute mark as the teams traded buckets and the lead down the stretch. With the Blue Hose holding a 26-25 advantage, Thorpe drilled a step-back three to send Asheville into the half with a two-point advantage.
Thorpe picked up where he left off in the first, scoring through contact as the Bulldogs jumped ahead 38-34. The Blue Hose responded and jumped in front 43-40 but Thorpe would continue to get to the line as the game went back-and-forth. With just under three to play, Presbyterian held onto a 59-56 advantage, Thorpe scored and Pember swatted a Blue Hose attack, slamming it home on the other end as Asheville pulled in front by one.
Free throws would make the score 64-61, and with Presbyterian looking to equalize,Jones blocked a corner 3-pointer and Trent Stephney knocked down a free throw as the lead extended to four. Reigning freshman of the year Rayshon Harrison answered with a three next time down, and a Pember free throw made the score 66-64 with 4.1 seconds on the clock. Swarming defense from the Bulldogs would force a five-second call as Thorpe knocked down two more free throws to put the game out of reach for the Blue Hose.
Team Stats
UNC-A
Presb
FG%
.429
.458
3FG%
.313
.389
FT%
.677
.545
RB
31
32
TO
11
10
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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