University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Longwood
GAME PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Hosts Longwood in Kimmel Arena on Saturday
01.12.2024 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (10-8, 2-1) vs. Longwood (13-5, 1-2)
- Saturday, January 13, 2024
- Asheville, N.C.; Kimmel Arena
- Time: 2 p.m.
- Watch Live: ESPN+ | Matt Stradley, play-by-play; Betsy Blose, analyst
- Listen: Bulldog Radio Network (570 WWNC AM) | Brian Hall, play-by-play; Mike Gore, analyst
- Live Stats
- Tickets
- Game Day Central
- Game Presented by AVL Technologies
PROMOTION
Per the Ingles I-26 Rivalry between Asheville and USC Upstate, the Bulldogs will be collecting canned food items for Eblen Charities Hoops Against Hunger. Fans can drop canned food items off at Kimmel Arena through Feb. 10.
ASHEVILLE'S LAST TIME OUT
UNC Asheville men's basketball traveled to face High Point University Wednesday evening in the Qubein Center and fell to the Panthers 84-79.
Asheville held an early 7-4 lead before the Panthers' offense sparked an 8-0 run to jump ahead by five with 13:11 left in the first half. High Point extended their lead by double figures, following back-to-back triples (23-13).
High Point held its double-figure lead over the next 5:47 until a foul sent Banks to the line, where he connected with both shots, bringing the score within eight (34-26). A triple from Banks and a shot in the paint from Burgess made it a one-possession game, as Asheville trailed by three entering the second half (40-37).
The Panthers opened the second frame on a 13-5 run, extending their lead out to 11 (53-42). High Point did not lead by more than 11 and held no less than a two-possession lead until 2:22 left in the game. Fletcher Abee was fouled and sent to the free throw line, with his second shot bringing the score within three points (76-73). Less than 10 seconds later, Pember appeared at the free throw line, sinking both of his shots to bring the score within one; however, this would be as close as Asheville would get, as the Panthers answered with back-to-back field goals, and the Bulldogs were unable to perform the comeback.
BULLDOG LEADERBOARD
Drew Pember– Pember led all scorers on Wednesday evening, as he recorded 36 points, adding eight rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals to his stat line. Pember was 10-for-23 from the field, connected for four triples, and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
So far this season, Pember is averaging 20.5 points a game, leading both Asheville and the Big South. Pember is No. 1 in the nation in made free throws, as he has made 132 free throws this season. He is No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big South in free throw attempts with 153. Pember checks in at No. 7 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big South in points with 349.
Along with leading the team in points scored, Pember also leads the team in rebounds per game with 7.3 and 32 blocks.
Fletcher Abee– Abee is averaging 10.9 points and leads the team with a .441 3-point percentage.
Abee is No. 1 in the Big South in 3-point percentage and No. 17 in the nation. He ranks second in the Big South in three-pointers per game (2.50), and total 3-point field goals made (45).
Josh Banks– Banks is averaging the second-most points for the Bulldogs with 13.1 points per game. He has a .406 three-point shooting percentage. Banks recorded 11 points against High Point on Wednesday.
Nick McMullen– McMullen recorded his sixth double-digit scoring outing on Wednesday, finishing with 12 points, and is averaging 10.6 points per game. McMullen leads the team with 19 steals and is second in rebounds per game with 6.9.
Caleb Burgess– Burgess leads the team with 92 assists and averages 5.1 per game, earning him the top spot in the Big South in both categories. Burgess is No. 20 in the nation in assists.
AS A TEAM
Asheville is No. 1 in the Big South in assists per game (16.4) and blocks per game (4.1). Asheville is No. 6 in the NCAA in free throws made per game (19.2) and No. 9 in free throw attempts per game (26.0).
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
Longwood enters Saturday's contest following a 69-58 loss to Radford Thursday evening in the first ESPNU Big South Wildcard Game of the season. The Lancers are 1-2 in conference play after falling in their conference opener to Winthrop in overtime (68-60) and defeating Charleston Southern on Jan. 6 (77-56).
The Lancers' top scorer this season is Walyn Napper who is averaging 14.2 points per game. Napper also leads Longwood in assists (82), and steals (29). Michael Christmas leads Longwood with 7.4 rebounds per game and leads the team at the free throw line with a .776 shooting percentage. He is the third highest scorer for Longwood with 11.3 points per game. Johnathan Massie and Szymon Zapala are the final two Lancers averaging double-digit scoring with 11.7 points and 10.7 points.
As a team, the Lancers are No. 2 in the Big South and No. 9 in the NCAA in rebound margin (10.9) and No. 1 in the league and No. 23 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (13.67). The Lancers are also top of the league in scoring defense (62.9), scoring margin (13.3), and turnovers forced per game (14.67).
SERIES HISTORY
Asheville holds a 17-5 record over the Lancers, and has a 2-game win streak. The first matchup against the two programs was during the 1985-86 season with Asheville winning 65-62. The next matchup against the two teams was on Jan. 19, 2013, with Asheville winning 68-65. The Bulldogs had a nine game winning streak from Feb. 2014 to Feb. 2018 and have a 6-4 record over the last 10 matchups. At home, Asheville holds a 7-2 record.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
|
2023-24 Season |
AVL |
LWU |
|
Scoring Average |
82.4 |
76.2 |
|
Opp. Scoring Average |
75.2 |
62.9 |
|
Scoring Margin |
7.2 |
13.3 |
|
FG Percentage |
.461 |
.401 |
|
3PT Percentage |
.364 |
.306 |
|
FT Percentage |
.739 |
.684 |
|
Rebounding Average |
36.9 |
29.4 |
|
Assists Per Game |
16.4 |
10.4 |
|
Steals Per Game |
6.1 |
6.6 |
|
Blocks Per Game |
4.1 |
2.3 |
BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To stay updated with all things surrounding Asheville men's basketball, follow the team on 𝕩.
