University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, January 8
Asheville, N.C.
4:30 PM
UNC Asheville
10-5,2-0Big South
82
vs
59
Charleston Southern
3-11,0-2Big South
1
2
F
Charleston So.
25
34
59
UNC Asheville
38
44
82
Men’s basketball downs Charleston Southern for fourth straight victory
01.08.2022 | Men's Basketball
Four Bulldogs score in double figures in 82-59 win
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team hosted Charleston Southern for its Big South home opener on Saturday afternoon, controlling the pace of play en route to defeating the Buccaneers 82-59.
What a Start!
The win, which was the fourth straight for the Bulldogs, improves Asheville's overall record to 10-5 with a 2-0 start in conference play. The 10-5 start to the season is the best since the 2015-16 squad went 12-5. Charleston Southern, meanwhile, drops to 3-11 and 0-2 in the Big South. The Bulldogs are scheduled to return to the court Thursday, visiting Winthrop for a clash that will be broadcast on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m.
"Just proud of the guys' response," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell. "Today wasn't perfect but we took care of business at home which is something we've talked about. I'm proud of their ability to come in and put two good days of work in to get ready for Charleston Southern, who's a much better team than their record suggests."
Standout Stats
Pember picked up where he left off, scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes, with a pair of 3-pointers from both Jude and Jones giving Asheville a 19-9 lead at the 12-minute mark. The teams traded buckets, but Thorpe came alive down the stretch, scoring in the lane three times and converting a 3-point play to make the score 38-25 after 20 minutes of play.
The shots were falling early in the second, with Stephney and Thorpe connecting from downtown. Stephney's steady presence helped the Bulldogs maintain their advantage, as the junior converted a 3-point play, set up Pember for a slam and finished in the paint to give Asheville a 65-45 lead with just over seven to play. From here, the Bulldogs would continue to match the Bucs, taking the game 82-59.
More from Morrell
On Trent Stephney:
"He's our engine, he's our captain. He and Coty (Jude) both do so many things that do not show up in the stat sheet - from leadership to their communication – those guys lead our program in those areas and Trent's just continuing to grow in that role."
On LJ Thorpe's play:
"Proud of him. His teammates did a good job of keeping the floor spaced…it allows him, if you provide help on him, he just does such a good job of spraying the ball around so I thought LJ did a good job of not forcing the issue too much on offense and it obviously worked out well for him and us."
What a Start!
The win, which was the fourth straight for the Bulldogs, improves Asheville's overall record to 10-5 with a 2-0 start in conference play. The 10-5 start to the season is the best since the 2015-16 squad went 12-5. Charleston Southern, meanwhile, drops to 3-11 and 0-2 in the Big South. The Bulldogs are scheduled to return to the court Thursday, visiting Winthrop for a clash that will be broadcast on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m.
"Just proud of the guys' response," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell. "Today wasn't perfect but we took care of business at home which is something we've talked about. I'm proud of their ability to come in and put two good days of work in to get ready for Charleston Southern, who's a much better team than their record suggests."
Standout Stats
- Bulldogs start 10-5 for the first time since 2015-16 (12-5)
- Drew Pember leads all scorers with 24 points, blocks three shots
- Second straight game holding its opponent to 16.7% from 3-point range (3-of-18)
- LJ Thorpe, Trent Stephney, Tajion Jones reach double-figure scoring
- Coty Jude moves into 4th place on Asheville's career 3-point list (207)
Pember picked up where he left off, scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes, with a pair of 3-pointers from both Jude and Jones giving Asheville a 19-9 lead at the 12-minute mark. The teams traded buckets, but Thorpe came alive down the stretch, scoring in the lane three times and converting a 3-point play to make the score 38-25 after 20 minutes of play.
The shots were falling early in the second, with Stephney and Thorpe connecting from downtown. Stephney's steady presence helped the Bulldogs maintain their advantage, as the junior converted a 3-point play, set up Pember for a slam and finished in the paint to give Asheville a 65-45 lead with just over seven to play. From here, the Bulldogs would continue to match the Bucs, taking the game 82-59.
More from Morrell
On Trent Stephney:
"He's our engine, he's our captain. He and Coty (Jude) both do so many things that do not show up in the stat sheet - from leadership to their communication – those guys lead our program in those areas and Trent's just continuing to grow in that role."
On LJ Thorpe's play:
"Proud of him. His teammates did a good job of keeping the floor spaced…it allows him, if you provide help on him, he just does such a good job of spraying the ball around so I thought LJ did a good job of not forcing the issue too much on offense and it obviously worked out well for him and us."
Team Stats
ChaSou
UNC-A
FG%
.426
.460
3FG%
.167
.364
FT%
.556
.800
RB
39
35
TO
19
10
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
10
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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