University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
2-3,0-0Big South
Western Carolina
3-2,0-0SoCon
Bulldogs Fall in Road Battle at Western Carolina
11.20.2025 | Men's Basketball
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – UNC Asheville battled wire-to-wire on the road Wednesday night against the Western Carolina Catamounts, but the Bulldogs came up short 80–73 inside the Ramsey Center.
Wednesday's contest featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes with the lead never surpassing seven points. Despite the close score, WCU held the lead for 23:03 and Asheville led for 8:23.
Toyaz Solomon led Asheville with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and led the team with three 3-pointers, to go with three blocks and two steals. Kameron Taylor posted another balanced effort, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Justin Wright added 12 points and a team-best six assists. Asheville shot 50 percent from the field and knocked down 11 made threes in the contest.
The Bulldogs clawed through a highly competitive opening 20 minutes, with Jakel Powell and DJ Patrick combining for four first-half threes to keep pace with the Catamounts. A steal from Wright and a fastbreak layup tied the game at 36 in the final minute, but a late WCU three sent Asheville to the break trailing 41–38.
Wright opened the second half with a pair of threes to immediately pull the Bulldogs even, and a DJ Patrick triple at the 16-minute mark gave Asheville a 49–46 advantage. The teams continued to trade baskets over the next 10 minutes, and with 3:15 to go, the two teams were locked at 67. Western worked its way out to a 3-point lead before a triple from Solomon with 21 seconds remaining evened the score at 73. With one second on the clock, WCU hit a triple, and the Catamounts cushioned their lead with four made free throws to secure the win.
UNC Asheville returns home for its next matchup as the Bulldogs take on Tennessee State on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in Kimmel Arena.
