Asheville Shoots Past Radford in 91–72 Road Win

RADFORD, Va. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team delivered a commanding offensive performance Saturday, earning its second consecutive Big South victory with a 91–72 road win over Radford at the Dedmon Center.

PATRICK'S CAREER DAY

DJ Patrick erupted for a career-high 24 points, drilling a career-best seven three-pointers. Five of those triples came in the first half, as he led Asheville with 18 points at halftime.

TAYLOR LEADS THE WAY

Kameron Taylor led all scorers with 27 points, adding five assists, five rebounds and three steals. He shot 50 percent from the field (8-of-16), knocked down three three-pointers and went 8-of-11 at the free-throw line, with 17 of his points coming in the second half.

Patrick and Taylor each finished the day with eight made field goals.

SOLOMON'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Toyaz Solomon finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. His 12 boards were a season high for the fifth-year senior. Solomon doubled his production in the second half, recording eight points and eight rebounds to help close out the game.

WRIGHT CONCLUDES THE DOUBLE-DIGIT DAY

Justin Wright rounded out Asheville's double-digit scorers with 16 points, while also adding six assists.

BULLDOGS OWN THE BOARDS

Asheville finished with 43 rebounds, marking its second consecutive game with 40-or-more boards and its highest rebounding total this season against a Division I opponent. Daniel Thomas was second on the team with nine rebounds and led the Bulldogs with three offensive boards.

ASHEVILLE'S HOT SHOOTING DAY

The Bulldogs shot 53.4 percent from the field (31-of-58) and connected on 11 three-pointers, while limiting Radford to just three from beyond the arc. The Highlanders shot 39.0 percent (23-of-59) and went 23-of-32 at the free-throw line, while Asheville converted 18.

In the opening 10 minutes, Asheville made eight of its first 10 field goals from three-point range.

KEY MOMENTS FROM THE BULLDOGS' ROAD WIN

Asheville never trailed, taking the lead following the opening tip and never looking back. Radford briefly tied the contest at 10 before Patrick responded with a four-point play to regain the lead.

Leading by two with 11:26 remaining in the first half, Asheville knocked down three consecutive three-pointers from Patrick, Taylor and Wright to build an 11-point advantage. The Bulldogs went into the break ahead 45–36.

With 13:11 left in the game, Taylor sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to double figures. Asheville remained in control the rest of the way, building its largest lead of 20 points following a Solomon layup with 7:57 to go in the contest.

Out of the final media timeout, eight of Asheville's final 12 points came at the free-throw line.

UP NEXT

Saturday's win moves Asheville to 8–10 overall and 2–2 in Big South play, while Radford falls to 9–9 and 2–1. The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, Jan. 14, traveling to Presbyterian for a 7 p.m. tip.