University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
3-3,0-0Big South
Wofford
2-4,0-0SoCon
Resilient Bulldogs Earn Overtime Victory against Terriers
11.25.2023 | Men's Basketball
LAVAL, CANADA – Nick McMullen connected for a pivotal layup, and Fletcher Abee followed by sinking back-to-back sets of free throws to help the UNC Asheville men's basketball team defeat Wofford 85-82 Saturday in the Northern Classic.
The Bulldogs were poised to earn the win at the end of regulation, but a foul following a made 3-pointer with three seconds remaining sent Wofford's Corey Tripp to the line. Tripp sank the extra shot to tie the game at 79 and ultimately sent the game into overtime.
Both teams struggled to break the tie in overtime until Wofford sank a free throw with 3:12 remaining to take a one-point lead. McMullen's layup to follow the free throw would end up being the only field goal made in overtime, as the Bulldog's final four points to earn the victory came from Abee's free throws. In overtime, Wofford was 0-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line, while the Bulldogs were 1-for-7 from the field and 4-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Abee paced the Bulldogs offensively, finishing with a game-high 25 points, going 4-for-9 from distance and 11-for-12 from the free throw line.
Three other Bulldogs also finished in double figures, with Jamon Battle registering 17 points and Josh Banks and McMullen finishing with 12 points each. McMullen also led Asheville with nine rebounds, and Battle followed with eight, adding on a game-high five assists.
The Bulldogs entered the second half with an 11-point lead as they closed the last 4:13 of the first half with a 12-1 run (40-29). Tied at 28, a 3-pointer from Abee, followed by a layup from Battle, would give Asheville a quick five-point lead. A steal followed by a dunk from Trent Stephney would extend Asheville's lead out to seven before another triple from Abee, and a layup from McMullen would give the Bulldogs the 12-point advantage. Davion Cunningham served as a spark plug in Asheville's end-of-half run, as he accounted for two assists and a rebound to help carry Asheville's momentum.
Out of the break, the Terriers caught momentum as they opened the half with a 15-4 run, tying the game at 44 with 13:50 to go. Back-to-back layups from Battle and a jumper from Banks helped Asheville regain a six-point lead, but Wofford's Dillon Bailey connected for a 3-pointer and followed 20 seconds later with a successful trip to the free throw line to bring the Bulldogs' lead back down to one (50-49).
With 10:52 remaining, Wofford took the lead and extended it to eight points, following a triple from Bailey (60-52). Asheville worked Wofford's lead down to one following an old-fashioned triple from Battle (60-59). A layup extended the Terriers' lead back out to three with 6:04 left in the contest before a Wofford foul and a team technical foul brought Abee to the free-throw line, where he sank all four shots to help tilt the momentum back to the Bulldogs (63-62).
The Terriers regained a one-point advantage following two free throws from Bailey, but Abee would answer with a triple. After two more Wofford free throws, Abee would sink another triple, giving Asheville a 3-point lead (69-66). Asheville held its lead for the remainder of the half until Wofford's made free throw following the foul on the 3-point shot sent the game into overtime.
The Bulldogs capitalized on Wofford turnovers as Asheville outscored the Terriers 29-4 off turnovers and 13-to-5 on fast break points. Wofford outscored Asheville 10-to-2 on second-chance points, with Asheville's two points coming from McMullen's putback layup in overtime.
Asheville outshot Wofford 48.3% to 40% from the field in the first half, but the Terriers outshot the Bulldogs in the second half 54.8% to 35.5%. Asheville shot 33.3% from the 3-point line, while Wofford shot 26.1%. At the free throw line, Wofford was 22-for-30 while the Bulldogs were 24-for-38.
Saturday's win marked Asheville's first Division-I victory of the season as the Bulldogs moved to 3-3. Saturday's win also marked Asheville's fifth consecutive overtime victory, as the Bulldogs went 3-0 during the 2022-23 season and closed out the 2021-22 regular season with a triple overtime victory.
Asheville will conclude its time in Canada tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 26, as they face Western Kentucky at 11 a.m.
