University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
17-9,9-2Big South
USC Upstate
8-16,3-8Big South
Strong Second Half Lifts Men’s Basketball to Victory at USC Upstate
02.10.2024 | Men's Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team outscored USC Upstate by 17 points in the second half after trailing by four at the end of the first frame and went on to defeat the Spartans 77-64 Saturday in the G.B. Hodge Center.
ASHEVILLE'S OFFENSE HEATS UP IN SECOND HALF
The Spartans finished the first half outshooting Asheville 53.6% to 40.7% from the field, but roles reversed in the second frame, as Asheville shot 52% and Upstate shot 30.8%. The Bulldogs connected for seven triples in the second half and finished with a 40% 3-point percentage compared to the Spartans, who finished with a 29.6% 3-point shooting percentage.
PEMBER MOVES UP IN BIG SOUTH RECORD BOOK
Drew Pember recorded a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds, earning his seventh double-double of the season. With Pember's 28 points, he has 1,745 career points and is No. 24 on the Big South All-Time Scoring List.
Pember went 6-for-17 from the field, 5-for-11 from 3-point range, and added two assists and two blocks to his stat line.
BURGESS HAS EXPLOSIVE SECOND HALF
Caleb Burgess entered the second half with only two points and finished the game with 14 points, adding five assists to his stat line. Burgess has turned in double-digit score outings in five of the last seven games.
Burgess connects for a triple and joins McMullen and Pember in double figures #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/G1z0uVRfFZ
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) February 10, 2024
McMULLEN ROUNDS OUT BULLDOGS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Nick McMullen finished Saturday's contest with 12 points, going 5-for-8 in the field, and added two assists, a block, and three steals to his stat line.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Neither team jumped out with the upper hand in Saturday's contest, as there were six ties and three lead changes through the opening eight minutes. Upstate connected for back-to-back triples to jump ahead by six with 10 minutes remaining, and the Spartans held the lead for the remainder of the half. Back-to-back triples from Pember with a little over five minutes left in the half cut Upstate's lead down to one, but the Spartans were able to push their lead to four to enter the second half (36-32).
Upstate opened the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Bulldogs followed with an 11-2 run to retake the lead 44-41. Asheville continued to increase its lead, with back-to-back 3-pointers from Abee and Pember helping the Bulldogs to a double-digit lead with under 10 minutes remaining (58-47). Upstate brought the score back within eight with 2:23 left in the contest, but that was as close as the Spartans would get, as Asheville closed the game on an 8-3 run to earn the victory.
A triple from Abee helps us to a 10-point lead! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/42jjrlqdQg
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) February 10, 2024
POSTGAME NOTES
- Asheville earned its ninth conference victory and moves to 17-9 overall and 9-2 in league action. Upstate falls to 8-16 and 3-8.
- With Saturday's win, the Bulldogs swept the men's basketball portion of the Ingles I-26 Rivalry. Asheville currently has an 18-12 lead over Upstate in the competition.
- Saturday marked Asheville's first regular season sweep over Upstate since the 2018-19 season.
UP NEXT
Asheville returns to Kimmel Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 14, as the Bulldogs host Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's game is a blackout.
