University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
George Mason
GAME PREVIEW: Bulldogs Close Out Road Game Stretch at George Mason
12.02.2024 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (3-3) vs. George Mason (5-3)
- Tuesday, December 3, 2024
- 7 p.m. EST
- Fairfax, Va. || EagleBank Arena
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
BULLDOG WATCH PARTY
Bulldog fans are invited to Salt Face Mule Tuesday evening to watch the Bulldogs take on George Mason as the Athletic Department hosts the first Watch Party of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
A quick turnaround for the Bulldogs as Asheville's last time on the court was on Sunday (Dec. 1) as the Bulldogs defeated Tennessee State 92-74 in Nashville. Jordan Marsh led Asheville's offense with a career-high 23 points, adding six assists and five rebounds to his stat line.
Toyaz Solomon finished with 18 points, Josh Banks followed with 17 points, and the final Bulldog in double-digit points was Fletcher Abee with 15. Asheville controlled the majority of Sunday's contest, with the Tigers holding the lead for only 25 seconds of the 40 minutes of action. The Bulldogs led by four at halftime, following an old-fashioned 3-pointer from Marsh with under a minute to go. The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 9-4 run and quickly extended their lead out to double-figures with a 3-pointer from Abee (52-41). Asheville earned its largest lead at 21 points following a dunk from Solomon with 2:34 remaining.
EARLY SEASON CHECK-IN
The Bulldogs have won three of their last four games, with the lone defeat being in double overtime at Central Arkansas. Asheville has had a 20-point scorer in the last five outings.
Banks leads the team, averaging 16.7 points per game. Following last night's game, Banks is on a 15-game streak of scoring at least one 3-pointer per game. Banks and Abee have 21 made 3-pointers on the season, with Abee averaging 13.7 points per game.
Solomon averages 15.8 points per game and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game and eight blocks. Jordan Marsh is the fourth Bulldog averaging double-digit points at 14.3 and leads the team with 21 assists. Marsh is second in steals with six, behind Jemal Davis, who has seven. Kameron Taylor is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.7, and leads the team with 18 offensive boards. Greg Gantt Jr. is second on the team with 17 assists and third in rebounds (5.2 per game) and steals (five).
BIG SOUTH LEADERBOARD
Team – As a team, the Bulldogs lead the conference in 3-point field goals made, averaging 8.5 per game.
Individuals – Banks is No. 2 in scoring, Solomon is No. 2 in rebounding, Marsh is No. 1 in free throw percentage (.913), Abee is No. 1 (.477), and Banks is No. 2 (.438) in 3-point field goal percentage. In 3-point field goals per game, Banks and Abee are both tied at No. 1 with 3.5. Marsh is No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio at 1.9, and Abee is No. 2 in minutes played, averaging 34.5 per game.
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
George Mason is currently on a 3-game win streak after defeating James Madison on Friday (Nov. 29). Darius Maddox leads the Mason's offense with 14.6 points per game. Giovanni Emejuru is the other Patriot, averaging double-digit points with 10.5, and leads the team with a .705 field goal percentage. Emejuru leads the team with 22 offensive boards and six blocks.
George Mason's 3-point leader is Zach Anderson, who is 15-30, followed by Maddox, who is 14-46 (.304). Jared Billups leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.0 per game. The Patriots' assist leader is K.D. Johnson with 3, followed by Brayden O'Connor with 21. O'Connor is second on the team in steals with nine, following Woody Newton with 10.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Tuesday's contest will be the first time the two teams have ever faced each other.
| 2024-25 Season | AVL | GMU |
| Scoring Average | 77.7 | 79.6 |
| Opp. Scoring Average | 82.8 | 64.4 |
| Scoring Margin | -5.2 | 15.3 |
| FG Percentage | .422 | .476 |
| 3PT Percentage | .349 | .324 |
| FT Percentage | .670 | .724 |
| Rebounding Average | 39.3 | 39.9 |
| Assists Per Game | 12.7 | 13.6 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.7 | 7.5 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.8 | 2.8 |
RETURN TO ASHEVILLE
Tuesday's contest completes the seven-game road stretch to begin Asheville's season, as the Bulldogs will return to Asheville for their home opener on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Bulldogs will face St. Andrews at 2 p.m. in Kimmel Arena. The 2024-25 season marks the 60th Anniversary of the men's basketball program competing as a four-year institution. St. Andrews is the only team the Bulldogs faced during the 1964-65 season. All men's basketball alumni are invited to attend the game and celebrate the occasion. Men's basketball alumni can RSVP by contacting Tyler Ferris at tferris@unca.edu. The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a "Retro Rocky" clear bag.
The Bulldogs will have six home games inside Kimmel Arena in December. For ticket information, visit HERE.
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