University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Charleston Southern
GAME PREVIEW: Bulldogs Visit Charleston Southern in First Big South Road Test
01.02.2026 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- Game 16
- UNC Asheville (6-9, 0-1) vs Charleston Southern (10-6, 1-0)
- Saturday, January 3, 2026
- 2 p.m.
- Charleston, S.C. || Buccaneer Fieldhouse
- ESPN+
- Radio
- Live Stats
BULLDOG BITES
The UNC Asheville men's basketball team opens its Big South Conference road schedule against Charleston Southern on Saturday (Jan. 3). Tip-off from Charleston, S.C., is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs fell in their conference opener this past Wednesday against High Point, as the Panthers used a strong-shooting first half to create early separation. Kameron Taylor paced Asheville with a game-high 21 points and added six rebounds and two assists, while Justin Wright finished with 18 points and DJ Patrick chipped in 11.
Wednesday's league-opening loss marked the Bulldogs' first conference opener setback since 2020. Asheville is now 5–3 in Big South openers under head coach Mike Morrell.
ASHEVILLE THROUGH FIFTEEN
Justin Wright leads Asheville, averaging 17.1 points per game. Wright and Toyaz Solomon each have 92 made field goals, with Wright leading the team with a .520 field-goal percentage. Wright also leads the team with 20 steals and ranks second with 40 assists.
Solomon, the Big South Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 16.1 points per game and leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game and 14 blocks.
Kameron Taylor is Asheville's third-leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game, and leads the team with 50 assists. He ranks second in rebounds (6.1 per game) and second in blocks (10).
DJ Patrick is averaging 10.3 points per game and leads the team with 30 three-pointers.
Taylor, Patrick, and Wright all rank in the top four in the league in minutes per game. Taylor leads the conference at 32:53 per game, followed by Patrick at 32:50, while Wright ranks fourth at 30:57.
A LOOK AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
The Buccaneers are 5-1 over their last six games. Charleston Southern closed non-conference play with a 77-72 win over Richmond before opening Big South play with an 89-79 victory at Gardner-Webb.
CSU leads the league in eight categories and ranks top-10 nationally in five:
- No. 8 in bench points per game (38.69)
- No. 3 in defensive rebounds per game (31.69)
- No. 6 in rebounds per game (44.50)
- No. 2 in three-point attempts per game (36.5)
- No. 2 in three-pointers per game (13.3)
In his first season with the Buccaneers, redshirt junior Brycen Blaine is off to a hot start. He leads the league in six categories and has been named Big South Player of the Week three times. Blaine averages 18.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, has totaled 17 steals, and ranks second on the team with 55 assists. He has connected on 51 three-pointers and leads CSU with 93 made field goals.
Nationally, Blaine ranks No. 5 in field-goal attempts (226), No. 13 in total points (291), No. 2 in three-point attempts (136), and No. 5 in made three-pointers.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| 2025-26 Season | Asheville | Charleston So. |
| Scoring Offense | 73.4 | 85.3 |
| Scoring Defense | 73.7 | 76.4 |
| Scoring Margin | -0.3 | 8.9 |
| FG Percentage | .470 | .448 |
| FG Pct. Defense | .447 | .398 |
| 3PT Percentage | .354 | .363 |
| FT Percentage | .697 | .677 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 34.4 | 44.5 |
| Assists Per Game | 11.6 | 18.1 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 14.0 | 12.9 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.7 | 4.6 |
| Blocks Per Game | 2.7 | 4.3 |
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 101st meeting between the two programs. The first matchup came during the 1968–69 season, a 97-91 Asheville victory. The Bulldogs enter the contest riding a nine-game winning streak in the series and are 15-1 against CSU since 2020.
Asheville owns a 61-39 all-time record against Charleston Southern and a 52-33 mark during the Division I era. On the road, the Bulldogs are 18-19, having won five of their last games at the Buccaneer Fieldhouse.
The two teams have met three times each season—twice during the regular season and once in the Big South Tournament—over each of the past four years.
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