University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Tuesday, December 13
Orangeburg, SC
7 pm
UNC Asheville
7-4, 0-0
94
at
84
South Carolina State
1-11, 0-0
1
2
F
UNC-Asheville
47
47
94
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
32
52
84
Tajion Jones has a career night to help fuel Asheville’s 94-84 win over South Carolina State
12.13.2022 | Men's Basketball
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – On a night where Tajion Jones broke the program's all-time 3-pointer record (298 career 3-pointers), matched the program's single game record for 3-pointers made in a game with eight, and tied a career-high with 30 points, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team notched a 94-84 victory on the road at South Carolina State on Tuesday. With the win, Asheville improves to 7-4 on the season.
Jones led the way for the Bulldogs with his 30 points. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee native shot an impressive 11-for-14 from the field and went 8-for-10 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds in the victory. As mentioned previously, the eight makes from beyond the arc match the program record for the most 3-pointers in the single game. Jones joins Josh Kohn, Omar Collington, Sean Smith, and Andrew Rowsey as Bulldogs that have reached that milestone.
Speaking of milestones, Jones also became the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers made on Tuesday. With his eight makes beyond the arc vs. SC State, Jones is up to 298 3-pointers made in his Asheville career passing Josh Kohn's mark of 296.
Jones was the not only Bulldog to have a stellar night to fuel Asheville's win. Both Drew Pember (16 points, 18 rebounds) and Nick McMullen (20 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles, while Jamon Battle scored in double figures (13 points) for the fourth straight game to help the cause. Caleb Burgess also dished out a team-high 11 assists in the win. It marks the first time that two Bulldogs have had double-doubles in the same game since February 9, 2017 when Ahmad Thomas (26 points, 10 rebounds) and Will Weeks (14 points, 12 rebounds) achieved the same feat. Pember and his 18 rebounds is the most by a Bulldog in a single game since Dwayne Sutton grabbed 18 rebounds as well in a March 6, 2016 game vs. Winthrop.
Asheville and South Carolina State began Tuesday's game trading buckets. Asheville took the lead (15-14) with a layup from Battle with about 10 minutes to go prior to halftime. Following that point, Jones really started to heat up to help fuel a 18-2 run to open the Bulldog lead to double figures. Jones finished the first half with 20 points that included a perfect 6-for-6 effort from beyond the arc.
Holding a 15-point lead (47-32) at the half, Asheville would add to its lead in the opening minutes of the second half extending its lead to as many as 20 points with 18:17 to go in regulation. SC State would keep battling as it cut the deficit to seven points on a couple of occasions. However, the production of McMullen (11 points), Pember (11 points), and Jones (10 points) and the rest of the Bulldogs in the second half was enough for Asheville to get back into the win column, 94-84.
Asheville will return to action on Saturday when it visits East Tennessee State in another non-conference clash. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Buccaneers is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Jones led the way for the Bulldogs with his 30 points. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee native shot an impressive 11-for-14 from the field and went 8-for-10 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds in the victory. As mentioned previously, the eight makes from beyond the arc match the program record for the most 3-pointers in the single game. Jones joins Josh Kohn, Omar Collington, Sean Smith, and Andrew Rowsey as Bulldogs that have reached that milestone.
Speaking of milestones, Jones also became the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers made on Tuesday. With his eight makes beyond the arc vs. SC State, Jones is up to 298 3-pointers made in his Asheville career passing Josh Kohn's mark of 296.
Furthermore, Jones moved into sixth place on the school's all-time scoring list surpassing former Bulldog Ahmad Thomas and his 1,626 points. Jones has now netted 1,635 points during his tenure as a Bulldog.@TajionJones3 scores his record breaking 297th Three-Pointer with his 7th three of the game. Jones is now the school's ALL-TIME leading 3 Point scorer. #IWWD #ALLinAVL pic.twitter.com/XLapYZ3hj5
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) December 14, 2022
Jones was the not only Bulldog to have a stellar night to fuel Asheville's win. Both Drew Pember (16 points, 18 rebounds) and Nick McMullen (20 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles, while Jamon Battle scored in double figures (13 points) for the fourth straight game to help the cause. Caleb Burgess also dished out a team-high 11 assists in the win. It marks the first time that two Bulldogs have had double-doubles in the same game since February 9, 2017 when Ahmad Thomas (26 points, 10 rebounds) and Will Weeks (14 points, 12 rebounds) achieved the same feat. Pember and his 18 rebounds is the most by a Bulldog in a single game since Dwayne Sutton grabbed 18 rebounds as well in a March 6, 2016 game vs. Winthrop.
Asheville and South Carolina State began Tuesday's game trading buckets. Asheville took the lead (15-14) with a layup from Battle with about 10 minutes to go prior to halftime. Following that point, Jones really started to heat up to help fuel a 18-2 run to open the Bulldog lead to double figures. Jones finished the first half with 20 points that included a perfect 6-for-6 effort from beyond the arc.
Holding a 15-point lead (47-32) at the half, Asheville would add to its lead in the opening minutes of the second half extending its lead to as many as 20 points with 18:17 to go in regulation. SC State would keep battling as it cut the deficit to seven points on a couple of occasions. However, the production of McMullen (11 points), Pember (11 points), and Jones (10 points) and the rest of the Bulldogs in the second half was enough for Asheville to get back into the win column, 94-84.
Asheville will return to action on Saturday when it visits East Tennessee State in another non-conference clash. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Buccaneers is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
Team Stats
UNCA
SCSU22
FG%
.623
.383
3FG%
.455
.174
FT%
.643
.857
RB
44
33
TO
21
5
STL
2
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
30
FGM
11
3FGM
8
FTM
0
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
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