University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 11
Clinton, SC
2 pm
UNC Asheville
20-7,12-2Big South
76
at
72
Presbyterian
5-22,1-13Big South
1
2
F
UNC Asheville
34
42
76
Presbyterian
34
38
72
Bulldogs outlast Presbyterian, 76-72, to pick up their 20th win of the season
02.11.2023 | Men's Basketball
CLINTON, S.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team withstood a late charge from Presbyterian and came away with a 76-72 road victory on Saturday. The win boosts Asheville's record to 20-7 overall and 12-2 in Big South play.
With Saturday's victory, Asheville gets to the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. Furthermore, the Bulldogs got their 20th win in just 27 games, which is tied for the fastest in program history matching the 1982-83 and 2016-17 Bulldog teams.
Tajion Jones led the way for the Bulldogs on the scoreboard on Saturday with a 21-point effort on 6-for-10 shooting from the field to go with eight rebounds. Nick McMullen also had an efficient performance with 18 points on an 8-for-10 day from the field. Drew Pember (15 points, five rebounds) and Caleb Burgess (12 points, seven assists) also finished the afternoon with double figure scoring efforts.
There was not a ton of separation between the Bulldogs and Blue Hose through the first half as the biggest lead for either team was just four points. Asheville and Presbyterian even shot near identical percentages from the field in the first 20 minutes (Asheville – 56 percent, Presbyterian – 55.6 percent).
Asheville got a huge lift in the first half from McMullen. The junior from Greensboro accounted for half of the Bulldogs' points (17 points) and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field before the two teams broke for halftime with the score tied at 34.
The Bulldogs quickly gained some separation from Presbyterian in the second half. Asheville reeled off a 13-0 run to put pressure firmly on PC. The Bulldogs eventually built their lead to as many as 14 points with 12:34 to go in regulation, 55-41.
Presbyterian, much like it did in the matchup played at Kimmel Arena late last month, continued to battle. The Blue Hose came all the way back to take a 65-64 lead with 4:19 to go.
Even with the frantic comeback from Presbyterian, Asheville did not panic. The Bulldogs went 8-for-9 from the free throw line down the stretch and got key buckets from Jones and Pember to outlast the Blue Hose, 76-72. It marks Asheville's fifth straight win over Presbyterian.
A big key in the sizable run to start the second half and Asheville holding on for the win was the play of Jones. Jones scored 19 points in the final 20 minutes (5-for-6 from field, 2-for-2 3-point range, and 7-for-8 from free throw line) and helped the Bulldogs on the glass as well, picking up five rebounds.
The next game for the Bulldogs will be next Thursday when they visit Radford. The game, which is a part of the Big South's ESPNU Wildcard Series, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPNU.
With Saturday's victory, Asheville gets to the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. Furthermore, the Bulldogs got their 20th win in just 27 games, which is tied for the fastest in program history matching the 1982-83 and 2016-17 Bulldog teams.
Tajion Jones led the way for the Bulldogs on the scoreboard on Saturday with a 21-point effort on 6-for-10 shooting from the field to go with eight rebounds. Nick McMullen also had an efficient performance with 18 points on an 8-for-10 day from the field. Drew Pember (15 points, five rebounds) and Caleb Burgess (12 points, seven assists) also finished the afternoon with double figure scoring efforts.
There was not a ton of separation between the Bulldogs and Blue Hose through the first half as the biggest lead for either team was just four points. Asheville and Presbyterian even shot near identical percentages from the field in the first 20 minutes (Asheville – 56 percent, Presbyterian – 55.6 percent).
Asheville got a huge lift in the first half from McMullen. The junior from Greensboro accounted for half of the Bulldogs' points (17 points) and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field before the two teams broke for halftime with the score tied at 34.
Another make for Nick! McMullen is now 7-for-7 from the field with 14 points today & the Bulldogs are up by four! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/goSIDozicS
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) February 11, 2023
The Bulldogs quickly gained some separation from Presbyterian in the second half. Asheville reeled off a 13-0 run to put pressure firmly on PC. The Bulldogs eventually built their lead to as many as 14 points with 12:34 to go in regulation, 55-41.
Presbyterian, much like it did in the matchup played at Kimmel Arena late last month, continued to battle. The Blue Hose came all the way back to take a 65-64 lead with 4:19 to go.
Even with the frantic comeback from Presbyterian, Asheville did not panic. The Bulldogs went 8-for-9 from the free throw line down the stretch and got key buckets from Jones and Pember to outlast the Blue Hose, 76-72. It marks Asheville's fifth straight win over Presbyterian.
Pember comes through in the clutch to put Asheville back up by four! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/gp65y6fKyn
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) February 11, 2023
A big key in the sizable run to start the second half and Asheville holding on for the win was the play of Jones. Jones scored 19 points in the final 20 minutes (5-for-6 from field, 2-for-2 3-point range, and 7-for-8 from free throw line) and helped the Bulldogs on the glass as well, picking up five rebounds.
The next game for the Bulldogs will be next Thursday when they visit Radford. The game, which is a part of the Big South's ESPNU Wildcard Series, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPNU.
Team Stats
AVL
Presb
FG%
.532
.528
3FG%
.333
.400
FT%
.733
.833
RB
32
23
TO
15
14
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
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