University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
19-9,11-2Big South
Charleston Southern
8-17,4-8Big South
Men’s Basketball Wins Big on Homecoming
02.17.2024 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team welcomed Charleston Southern to town Saturday afternoon and defeated the Buccaneers 86-55 in Kimmel Arena.
BY THE NUMBERS
Drew Pember led the way for Asheville, scoring 25 points and recording 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Pember was 9-for-13 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point shooting.
Fletcher Abee finished with 17 points, going 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from distance. Abee added five rebounds and three assists to his stat line. Caleb Burgess recorded 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds. With Burgess' second assist, Burgess recorded his 500th career assist.
Banks rounded out the Bulldogs in double-figures with 10 points. Banks and Burgess had four baskets each from the field, with one each from 3-point range.
All active members of Asheville's roster made their way on the court, with Davion Cunningham leading Asheville off the bench with seven points in six minutes of action.
Asheville had nine blocks as a team, with Toyaz Solomon and Greg Gantt Jr. recording three each.
The Bulldogs shot 52.4% from the field (33-63), 41.7% from 3-point range (10-24) and went 10-16 from the free throw line (62.5%).
Charleston Southern was led by Kalib Clinton, who had 16 points. The Buccaneers shot 25.4% from the field, 24.1% from 3-point range, and 63.6% from the free throw line.
ON THE COURT
Charleston Southern got the first points of the day, but a 3-pointer from Pember helped Asheville ahead 7-5 to give the Bulldogs a permanent lead. A jumper from Pember at the 11:24 mark helped Asheville take a 10-point lead, and the Bulldogs would hold a double-digit lead for the rest of the half, extending it out by 24 points to close the half, following a 3-pointer from Pember (47-23).
Asheville went right back to work out of the break, with a 3-pointer from Pember earning the Bulldogs a 31-point lead five minutes into the final frame. Asheville's lead would not dip below 27 points for the remainder of the contest, and the Bulldogs earned their largest lead of the night at 36 points, following a free throw from Pember with 8:46 left in the contest (73-37).
POSTGAME NOTES
- Asheville advances to 19-9 overall and 11-2 in conference play. Charleston Southern falls to 8-17 (4-8).
- Saturday marks the Bulldogs' fifth consecutive victory and fifth consecutive win over Charleston Southern. This is also the fifth regular-season sweep Asheville has had over CSU, dating back to the 2019-20 season.
- With Saturday's win, Asheville has won 46 games between this season and the 2022-23 season, the most wins in a two-season period in program history.
- Saturday marked the largest crowd in Kimmel Arena this season, with 2,769 fans. If 3,000 fans attend the men's basketball team's final home game of the season, Kimmel and Associates will donate $3,000 to the Bulldog Scholarship Fund. Asheville's last home game of the season is on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. against Gardner-Webb. Asheville will be honoring its five senior members, and Saturday's game sponsor, TD Bank, will select one fan to attempt a half-court shot for a chance to win $10,000.
UP NEXT
Asheville hits the road to face Longwood on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.
