University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Virginia U. of Lynchburg
GAME PREVIEW: Bulldogs prepare to host Dragons on Saturday
11.17.2023 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (1-2) vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg (0-6)
- Saturday, November 17
- Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Live Stats: https://uncabulldogs.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
- Watch: ESPN+ (John Williams, play-by-play; Coty Jude, color analyst)
- Tickets
LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday (Nov. 14), the Bulldogs secured their first win of the season, defeating Carolina University 117-54. Toyaz Solomon led Asheville with 16 points and eight rebounds, Jamon Battle and Davion Cunningham closely followed him with 15 points each, and Evan Johnson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.
The Bulldogs were relentless in the first half, with two free throws from Josh Banks earning Asheville a 20-point lead with 9:49 remaining (28-8). A dunk from Nick McMullen with 5:38 remaining helped Asheville cruise to a 30-point lead (44-14) before halftime, and the Bulldogs led 59-20 at the break. Out of the break, a triple from Banks helped Asheville extend its lead to 42 points, and a three-pointer from Dean Gabrelcik carried Asheville over the century mark with under seven minutes remaining (101-46). Following Gabrelcik's three, Asheville closed the game by scoring 16 points, while the Bruins scored eight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
In 13 minutes of action on Tuesday night, Drew Pember scored 13 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Pember leads the Bulldogs this season with 51 points, averaging 17 points per game, alongside 20 rebounds so far this season.
Coming off the bench, Toyaz Solomon follows Pember in the scoring column, averaging 11 points per game and has 13 rebounds. Evan Johnson and Josh Banks follow, averaging 10.7 and 10.3 points per game.
SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
Virginia University of Lynchburg is a member of the NCCAA Division I South Region. Saturday will be the first time in program history the Bulldogs and Dragons will face each other.
Lynchburg is 0-6 on the season and will face Ferrum on Friday, Nov. 17, before traveling to Asheville for Saturday's matchup.
Last season, after dropping their season opener to Georgetown (58-103), the Dragons defeated Alice Lloyd (78-66) for their lone win of the season. The Dragons were 1-19 and finished 32nd out of 41 schools in the NCCAA in offensive points scored with 1469 points, and averaged 73.5 points per game.
The Dragons are being led this season by Jahmir Brown, who, in their contest against Dist. Columbia scored 26 points (the highest recorded by a player this season) with 74 total points so far. Mark Fraiser is also a player to watch, as he has secured 40 rebounds and 64 points so far this season, and Zachary Dunn has recorded 10 rebounds in each of his last three matches for the Dragons.
BULLDOG GAME DAY REMINDERS
- Doors will open one hour before tip-off.
- UNC Asheville has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for athletics events. CLICK HERE to read the policy.
- To avoid waiting in line at the box office, fans can purchase tickets through their phones and show their ticket on their screens to be scanned upon entering the arena. To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.
To stay updated with all things surrounding Asheville men's basketball, follow the team on 𝕩.
