University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Lipscomb
GAME PREVIEW: UNC Asheville Welcomes Lipscomb to Kimmel Arena for Home Opener
11.10.2025 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- Game 3
- UNC Asheville (0-2) vs Lipscomb (0-2)
- Tuesday, November 11, 2025
- 6:30 p.m. EST
- Asheville, N.C. || Kimmel Arena
- ESPN+
- Radio
- Live Stats
- Tickets
- Gameday Central
- Game Theme: Heroes Day- All Veterans, Active Service Members, and First Responders will receive free admission to Tuesday's game. Please visit the Box Office upon arrival to claim your complimentary ticket.
- Game Sponsor: SDV Medical
WEEK ONE RECAP
The Bulldogs dropped two hard-fought road contests last week, falling 75-58 at Wichita State after a competitive first half and 93-90 at Georgia Southern after the Eagles mounted a late comeback.
Justin Wright averaged a team-high 20.5 points per game for Asheville last week, pouring in a career-high 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line against Georgia Southern. Kameron Taylor followed with a career-high 29 points, eight rebounds, and four assists against Georgia Southern.
Toyaz Solomon scored 14 points in each contest and finished with the Bulldogs' first double-double of the season on Saturday as he recorded 10 rebounds against the Eagles.
In two games so far this season, Asheville is averaging 74.0 points per game, is 56-116 from the field, and is 8-28 from 3-point range.
A LOOK AT THE BISONS
Lipscomb is 0-2 after dropping its season opener at Vanderbilt 105-61 and falling at Mercer 92-77. After two games, Ross Candelino is leading Lipscomb with 16.0 points per game. Candelino is 13-of-22 from the field and 6-of-14 from 3-point range.
Going into the season, Charlie Williams was named to the Preseason All-ASUN team. Williams played in all 35 games and started in 17 for Lipscomb last season. He boasted a 43.9% field goal percentage and a 45.6% in ASUN play. The Lipscomb big had a 33.0% three-point percentage overall and averaged 33.3% in the category during conference play last season.
Last season, Lipscomb had one of its most successful Division I seasons, which included the program's second NCAA tournament appearance, its fourth ASUN regular season championship, and a third straight 20-plus win season — a milestone achieved only once before in the Division I era. Lipscomb has a new leader at the helm of its program, as Kevin Carroll takes over from Lennie Acuff, who departed to become the head coach at Samford University.
The Bisons have six returners and nine newcomers, made up of five freshmen and four transfers. Lipscomb was picked to finish seventh in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll with 77 points and was picked to finish fifth in the ASUN Preseason Media poll with 408 points and nine first-place votes. The Bisons return just 16.7% of scoring from last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Lipscomb and Asheville faced off two seasons ago in Montreal, Quebec, with the Bisons winning 86-75. Tuesday's game marks the second matchup between the two programs.
ASHEVILLE'S HOME OPENER
Tuesday's home opener marks the third time in the past five seasons that Asheville has opened its home schedule on Veterans Day. The Bulldogs also hosted UNC Wilmington on Nov. 11, 2023, and Brevard on Nov. 11, 2021. All Veterans, Active Service Members, and First Responders will receive free admission to Tuesday's game. Please visit the Box Office upon arrival to claim your complimentary ticket.
BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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