University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Western Carolina
GAME PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Heads to Cullowhee on Saturday for Mountain Rivalry Matchup
12.08.2023 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (5-4) vs. Western Carolina (6-2)
- Saturday, December 9
- Cullowhee, N.C.; Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center
- Time: 4 p.m.
- Watch Live: Daniel Hooker, play-by-play; Jeff Bryson, color analyst)
- Live Stats
- Listen: Bulldog Radio Network (570 WWNC AM) | (Brian Hall, play-by-play; Mike Gore, color analyst)
- Tickets
HISTORIC RIVALRY
The mountain rivalry between the Bulldogs and Catamounts dates back to 1929-30, with Saturday's contest being the 58th time the two teams have squared off. Asheville and Western have faced each other yearly for the past 25 years, following a six-year hiatus between 1993 and 1999. The Catamounts hold a 32-25 series lead over the Bulldogs. During Mike Morrell's tenure as head coach, Asheville is 2-3 against WCU.
The Bulldogs have won the last two contests against WCU, as Asheville won 73-61 at Kimmel Arena on Nov. 26, 2022, and 73-72 in Cullowhee on Dec. 11, 2021.
ASHEVILLE'S LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs suffered a 79-76 overtime defeat to Kennesaw State on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Drew Pember and Josh Banks combined for 49 points, with Pember leading both teams with 27 points, recording his second double-double of the season with 14 boards and adding a game-high four blocks. Banks recorded 22 points, leading Asheville at halftime with 11 points, and recorded seven boards.
Kennesaw State entered the second half 36-30 and made quick work out of the half to extend its lead out to double figures. The Bulldogs did not falter, as they began to cut into the Owls' lead, starting with back-to-back shots from Banks and Trent Stephney (49-42). A jumper from Nick McMullen cut Kennesaw's lead down to five before the Owls extended it back out to eight. Banks made quick work with two free throws and a 3-pointer to bring the score within three, and a dunk from Pember helped the Bulldogs trail by one (59-58).
A made free throw would help the Owls retake a 2-point lead before Pember tied it up at 60. With 3:32 remaining, the Owls retook a 2-point lead, and neither team would score for the next 2:20 until a 3-pointer by Pember would give Asheville a one-point advantage. With one minute remaining, a foul sent Kennesaw's Terrell Burden to the line, where he made one of his two free throws to tie the game at 65 and ultimately sent the game into overtime.
The Bulldogs scored the first bucket in overtime with a layup from McMullen, but the five minutes of action would feature four ties, with the Owls breaking the final tie of the night with the game-winning basket with less than a second on the clock.
BULLDOG LEADERBOARD
Pember leads Asheville, averaging 18.1 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 16 blocks. Pember is 11 blocks away from becoming just the seventh player in Big South history to have 1,000 points (1,366), 500 rebounds (584), and 200 blocked shots (189).
Josh Banks follows, averaging 13.4 points per game, and Fletcher Abee is the final Bulldog, averaging double-digit figures with 12.4. Abee leads the team and conference with a .433 3-point shooting percentage and leads the conference in 3-point field goals per game (2.9). Abee also leads the Bulldogs and Big South with a 95.2 free throw percentage (20-for-21).
Caleb Burgess leads Asheville with 49 assists and is three away from 200 assists.
A LOOK AT THE CATS
Western Carolina went undefeated in the month of November, and enters Saturday's contest on a two-game losing streak after falling to Big South members Gardner-Webb and High Point.
Western's player to watch is Vonterius Woolbright, who was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year. Woolbright is leading WCU, averaging 22.1 points per game, 11.3 rebounds, and 37 assists.
Western Carolina entered the week ranked No. 11 in the most recent Men's Mid-Major Top 25 from CollegeInsider.com.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2023-24 Season AVL WCU
Scoring Average 86.8 77.1
Opp. Scoring Average 73.3 71.4
Scoring Margin 13.5 5.7
FG Percentage .464 .475
3FG Percentage .333 .337
FT Percentage .687 .718
Rebounding Average 37.7 38.0
Assists Per Game 18.1 11.4
Steals Per Game 6.8 3.3
Blocks Per Game 4.4 3.0
PREGAME EVENT
UNC Asheville will have a pregame event before Saturday's doubleheader in Cullowhee, as the women's basketball team will play the Catamounts following the men at 7 p.m. The event will be held at Innovation Brewing (732 Centennial Dr., Cullowhee, NC 28723) at 2 p.m.
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