University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
3-4,0-0Big South
Appalachian State
4-5,0-0Sun Belt
Bulldogs Down Mountaineers, 67-55
11.30.2025 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Behind career days from Toyaz Solomon and Kameron Taylor, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team defeated Appalachian State, 67-55, at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Downtown Asheville.
TAY'S DAY
Solomon led Asheville at halftime with 10 points and six rebounds and finished the game with a career-high 25 points, shooting .500 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. He came two boards shy of a double-double, finishing with eight. Sunday's game marked Solomon's third straight contest scoring 20 or more points.
New career-high for Toyaz! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/mbK1lhNYrp
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) November 30, 2025
KAM SEEING DOUBLE
Taylor recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore scored seven of his points in the first half and collected seven rebounds in the second.
ASHEVILLE GETS FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES
For the first time this season, four Bulldogs reached double figures as Justin Wright (13) and DJ Patrick (11) joined Solomon and Taylor. Patrick hit two of Asheville's three 3-pointers; all three came in the first half. Taylor knocked down the first triple, and Patrick followed with two more over a span of 4:26 (17:13–12:47). Patrick also led Asheville with three assists and logged the most minutes played between both teams.
Wright's 13 points came from a perfect day at the line (7-of-7) and three field goals. He added four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
SCORING BREAKDOWN
Both teams finished with 21 made field goals. Asheville shot 42% (21-of-50), while App State went 21-of-53 and hit six 3-pointers compared to Asheville's three. The Bulldogs found success at the free throw line, shooting 22-of-27, while App State was 7-of-15. Asheville's 22 made free throws are a season high.
Asheville outscored the Mountaineers 28-24 in the paint and 13-8 in second-chance points. The majority of the Bulldogs' scoring came from the starting five, with just four bench points, while App State produced 26 points off the bench.
The Bulldogs outrebounded App State 36-25, including 10 offensive boards.
BULLDOGS SURGE TO EARLY LEAD
The teams traded baskets to open the contest before Asheville launched a 17-0 run to take a 19-2 lead with 12:47 remaining in the first half. All three Bulldog 3-pointers came during the run, with Patrick scoring eight quick points.
The early 2-2 tie was the only tie of the contest, and Asheville's fast start allowed the Bulldogs to hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
APP STATE'S LATE-HALF PUSH CUT SHORT
With Asheville ahead by 17, the Mountaineers gained momentum and went on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 21-15. Out of the under-8 media timeout, App State extended its run with a 6-2 spurt to bring the score to 23-21 with 5:09 left in the half.
In his first appearance this season, David Hermes helped swing momentum back to Asheville with a turnaround jumper at the shot-clock buzzer.
David Hermes beats the clock! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/EyieMzLOHu
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) November 30, 2025
Taylor followed with a driving layup that led to a trip to the line. Though he missed the free throw, Patrick forced a turnover following the rebound, returning possession to the Bulldogs. After a missed shot, Taylor grabbed an offensive board to extend the possession, and Corey Jones converted to push the lead to 29-21 with 3:26 remaining.
DJ finds CoJo for the layup! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/OBRYFfxJEp
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) November 30, 2025
Two late buckets from Solomon put Asheville ahead by 10 before an App State 3-pointer cut the margin to seven. The Bulldogs entered halftime with a 33-26 advantage.
BULLDOGS CLOSE OUT CONTEST BEHIND STRONG FREE THROW SHOOTING
Twenty-two of Asheville's 34 second-half points came at the free throw line, as the Bulldogs drew 16 fouls while committing 11. Over the final 20 minutes, Solomon went 9-of-10, Wright 7-of-7, and both Patrick and Taylor 3-of-4 at the stripe.
App State made it a one-possession game with under 10 minutes to play (41-38), but Asheville answered with four straight successful trips to the line. The Bulldogs' 8-0 run reestablished an 11-point lead (49-38), and they never allowed the margin to dip below nine for the remainder of the contest, and secured a double-digit lead with 42 seconds remaining en route to the Sunday afternoon victory.
UP NEXT
Asheville returns to the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville on Tuesday (Dec. 2) to face UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here.
