University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
21-10,11-5Big South
Charleston Southern
10-22,6-10Big South
BULLDOGS ADVANCE: Strong Second Half and Defense Sends Asheville to Semifinals of Big South Championship
03.07.2025 | Men's Basketball
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Four Bulldogs reached double-digit scoring for the 20th time this season to lead the UNC Asheville men's basketball team to the program's largest margin of victory in the Big South Conference Championship tournament since 2016, as Asheville defeated Charleston Southern 80-60 Friday evening in Johnson City.
IN THE BOX
Toyaz Solomon led Asheville's scoring with 21 points, 15 in the second half. Solomon was 10-11 from the field and added five rebounds, a steal and a block to his stat line. He was closely followed by Jordan Marsh, who scored 20 points and went 9-23 from the field. He added six rebounds and six assists and matched his career-high five steals.
Fletcher Abee sank his 200th 3-pointer for UNC Asheville and finished with 16 points, going 5-7 from 3-point range.
Fletcher Abee's 200th 3-pointer at UNC Asheville! 👏#ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/tCQiDVCC9u
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) March 8, 2025
Josh Banks scored 11 points to round out the Bulldogs in double-digit scoring. Greg Gantt Jr. had a game-high 10 rebounds and added four points, three assists and two blocks to his stat line. Kameron Taylor was the final Bulldog in the scoring column with eight points.
IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT!?! 😱pic.twitter.com/sFRHWiLJAE
— Mid-Major Madness (@mid_madness) March 8, 2025
The Bulldogs shot 54.1% from the field, and 43.8% from 3-point range. Asheville outscored Charleston Southern 20-3 off turnovers, as the Bulldogs committed eight turnovers, while the Buccaneers committed 16. The Bulldogs outscored Charleston Southern 36-32 from the paint, 9-4 on second chance baskets, and 12-5 off fast breaks. There were eight lead changes and seven ties, all coming in the first half.
ON THE COURT
It was back-and-forth to open Friday evening's contest as Marsh got the first basket of the night before Charleston Southern quickly tied things up and took a 2-point lead. The two teams would go back-and-forth over the next three minutes, with Charleston Southern taking the largest lead at four in the first six minutes of action (15-11). The Bulldogs would go on a 6-0 run to take a 17-15 lead, sparked by a mid-range jumper from Marsh, but the Buccaneers would tie the score at 17 and retake a two-point lead. With 5:32 remaining in the first half, Charleston Southern led by three (26-23), before the Bulldogs stormed back with a 9-0 run. A mid-range jumper from Marsh sparked Asheville's run, followed by a pair of free throws from Taylor. Abee then sank a 3-pointer and was fouled on the shot to get a free throw attempt, and found success at the charity stripe. Abee followed with another 3-pointer to give Asheville a six point lead, the Bulldogs' largest lead of the half. The Buccaneers brought the score back down to four but Banks ended the half with a layup to put the Bulldogs ahead 38-32 at halftime.
Josh Banks sends us into the halftime break with a coast-to-coast bucket and we lead 38-32 at the half! #ALLinAVL #IWWD pic.twitter.com/miqd6pWRAb
— Asheville Basketball (@UNCAvlMBB) March 7, 2025
Marsh led Asheville at the end of the first half with 13 points.
Charleston Southern scored the first bucket of the second half, before Banks sank his first 3-pointer of the night to spark a 10-0 run for Asheville (48-34). The Buccaneers brought Asheville's lead down to single digits just once, following a layup with 14:40 remaining to put Asheville ahead by nine, but a jumper in the paint from Solomon put Asheville back ahead by 11. With 8:53 to go, The Bulldogs extended their lead out to 21 points, following an offensive rebound putback by Solomon, and the Bulldogs led by 20 points or more for the rest of the contest.
UP NEXT
No. 2 Asheville is back in the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tenn., tomorrow, March 8, for the Semifinal Round of the Big South Conference Championship. The Bulldogs will face Winthrop at 2:30 p.m.
This marks the 12th time these two teams have squared off in the conference tournament, and the first time since 2016.
Winthrop defeated the defending Big South Champion, Longwood, 88-79, to advance to the quarterfinal match against Asheville.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| 2024-25 Season | Asheville | Winthrop |
| Scoring Offense | 82.7 | 85.0 |
| Scoring Defense | 76.3 | 78.2 |
| Scoring Margin | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| FG Percentage | .475 | .474 |
| FG Pct. Defense | .451 | .442 |
| 3PT Percentage | .352 | .336 |
| FT Percentage | .715 | .677 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 35.2 | 38.6 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.1 | 12.7 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 10.3 | 13.2 |
| Steals Per Game | 7.6 | 8.1 |
| Blocks Per Game | 4.1 | 3.3 |
PREGAME GATHERING
Before tomorrow's game, the UNC Asheville Athletic Department will host a pregame gathering at Wild Wing Cafe in Johnson City, beginning at noon. The address is 71 Wilson Ave, Johnson City, TN 37604.
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