University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
8-11,2-3Big South
Presbyterian
9-10,2-2Big South
Solomon Scores 1,000th Point as a Bulldog; Asheville Falls 71-70 at Presbyterian
01.14.2026 | Men's Basketball
CLINTON, S.C. – With the first basket of the game, Toyaz Solomon drilled a 3-pointer to surpass 1,000 career points as a Bulldog, but the early momentum was short-lived as Presbyterian edged the UNC Asheville men's basketball team, 71–70, on Wednesday.
Asheville never led by more than three points and was in front for just 3:41 of the contest, as Presbyterian controlled the majority of the game. The Blue Hose built a 12-point lead with under two minutes remaining before the Bulldogs mounted a late surge. Asheville scored nine straight points to cut the deficit to three and pulled within one in the final seconds, but time expired before the comeback could be completed.
Presbyterian outshot Asheville, shooting 54.2 percent from the field compared to the Bulldogs' 40.0 percent. Despite Asheville connecting on six 3-pointers, the Blue Hose finished with a higher percentage from long range, as the Bulldogs went 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) while Presbyterian shot 5-of-8 (62.5 percent). Asheville held the advantage at the free-throw line, going 20-of-24 (83.3 percent), while Presbyterian finished 14-of-27 (51.9 percent).
Asheville outscored PC in the second half, but Presbyterian's efficient first half proved too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.
Justin Wright led Asheville with 26 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 10-of-11 at the free-throw line. Wright extended his streak to 15 consecutive games scoring in double figures.
Kameron Taylor followed with 22 points, also going 7-of-15 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Solomon finished with 11 points and was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
DJ Patrick led the Bulldogs with seven rebounds and three steals, while also tying Taylor for the team lead with two assists. Patrick added five points to his stat line.
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17, as Asheville hosts Winthrop in Kimmel Arena for the program's "Dark Mode" game. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a black replica jersey. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1 p.m.
