University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
High Point
GAME PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Heads to Qubein Center for Matchup Against High Point
01.09.2024 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (10-7, 2-0) vs. High Point (13-4, 2-0)
- Wednesday, January 10, 2024
- High Point, N.C.; Qubein Center
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Watch Live: ESPN+
- Listen: Bulldog Radio Network (570 WWNC AM)
- Live Stats
BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SITE
UNC Asheville men's basketball competes in the Qubein Center on Wednesday, the location of the 2024 Big South Conference Tournament. The Qubein Center opened in September 2021, and the Bulldogs have a 1-1 record in Qubein. Tickets for the Big South Conference Tournament can be purchased here.
ASHEVILLE'S LAST TIME OUT
Asheville advanced to 2-0 in Big South Conference play following an 84-80 victory over Presbyterian on Jan. 6.
Drew Pember led Asheville, recording a game-high 29 points and clinched his fourth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Pember was 7-for-12 from the field, 15-for-16 from the free throw line, and recorded three assists.
Asheville trailed by seven with 7:59 left in the first half, but an 8-0 run helped the Bulldogs pull ahead 29-28. Presbyterian retook a one-point lead, but that would be the final Blue Hose lead of the half, as the Bulldogs answered with a 16-5 run. The Bulldogs closed the half out with back-to-back 3-pointers from Toyaz Solomon and Fletcher Abee to go into the half ahead 45-35.
Asheville held the lead for the remainder of the contest, but the Blue Hose prevented the Bulldogs from extending their lead past 10. With 3:02 left in the competition, Presbyterian attempted a late-game comeback following a 7-1 run to cut Asheville's lead to one (78-77).
Pember was sent to the free throw line four times in the final 2:21 of action and connected for seven free throws to help preserve Asheville's lead.
BULLDOG LEADERBOARD
Drew Pember– Pember leads Asheville, averaging 19.6 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, and 29 blocks.
Big South Leaderboard: Pember became just the fourth player in Big South history with 1,500 points (1,534), 600 rebounds (641), and 200 blocked shots (202) when he eclipsed the scoring milestone in the Jan. 3 Big South opener vs. USC Upstate. Pember is just one of two players in league annals with 200 career blocks and 100 made three-pointers (114). He is now second all-time in conference history with 524 career free throws made.
Pember is No. 1 in the Big South in free throws (120), free throw attempts (141), points per game (19.6), and triple-doubles, as he is the only player in the Big South to record one this season.
NCAA Leaderboard: Pember is No. 3 in the nation in free throws, No. 4 in free throw attempts, and No. 14 in points (313).
Fletcher Abee– Abee is averaging 11.2 points and leads the team with a .446 3-point percentage.
Abee is No. 1 in the Big South in 3-point percentage, three-pointers per game (2.65), and total 3-point field goals made (45).
In the NCAA, Abee is No. 15 in three-point percentage and No. 28 in total 3-point field goals made.
Josh Banks– Banks recorded 14 points against the Blue Hose and is averaging the second-most points for the Bulldogs with 13.2 points per game.
Banks is No. 3 in the conference in total 3-point field goals made (39) and No. 5 in 3-pointers per game (2.29) and in three-point attempts (95).
With Banks ranking No. 148 in the NCAA in total 3-pointers per game, Asheville is one of 16 teams in the country with two players in the top 150 in triples per game.
Nick McMullen– McMullen recorded his fifth double-digit scoring outing on Saturday, finishing with 20 points and averaging 10.5 points per game. McMullen leads the team with 17 steals and is second in rebounds per game with 6.9.
Caleb Burgess– Burgess leads the team with 87 assists and averages 5.1 per game, earning him the top spot in the Big South in both categories. Burgess is No. 21 in the nation in assists and No. 44 in assists per game.
AS A TEAM
Big South Leaderboard: Asheville is No. 1 in the Big South in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30) and assists per game (16.5). The Bulldogs are No. 2 in blocks per game (3.9), points per game (82.6), three-point percentage (.366), and 3-pointers per game (8.6).
NCAA Leaderboard: Asheville is No. 14 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (25.7) and No. 8 in free throws made per game (18.9).
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
High Point enters Wednesday's contest 13-4 and 2-0 in conference play after defeating Gardner-Webb 85-76 on Saturday. With Saturday's win, High Point enters Wednesday's contest on a 5-game win streak. Asheville, High Point, and Winthrop are the only teams in the Big South that are 2-0. The Panthers are 9-0 in the Qubein Center under first-year head coach Alan Huss.
The Panthers are led this season by Duke Miles, who is averaging 19.1 points a game and 3.8 assists a game. Kimani Hamilton is second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points a game and leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game. Kezza Giffa is the third-highest scorer for the Panthers, averaging 13.6 points a game, and leads the team with 101 free throws (.878 FT%).
SERIES HISTORY
Asheville holds a 31-23 lead over the Panthers in the Division I era. Asheville won both matchups against High Point during the 2022-23 season and three of the four games before last season, with the Bulldogs' lone loss being in overtime at High Point.
Asheville has a 20-7 home record but trails 9-15 on the road. In conference action, Asheville leads 24-20.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
|
2023-24 Season |
AVL |
HPU |
|
Scoring Average |
82.6 |
85.3 |
|
Opp. Scoring Average |
74.7 |
72.7 |
|
Scoring Margin |
7.9 |
12.6 |
|
FG Percentage |
.467 |
.475 |
|
3PT Percentage |
.366 |
.357 |
|
FT Percentage |
.737 |
.765 |
|
Rebounding Average |
36.8 |
41.6 |
|
Assists Per Game |
16.5 |
12.9 |
|
Steals Per Game |
5.9 |
5.3 |
|
Blocks Per Game |
3.9 |
3.5 |
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