University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Wednesday, January 21
Asheville, NC
6:30 PM
UNC Asheville
8-12,3-4Big South
57
vs
56
USC Upstate
6-14,1-5Big South
1
2
3
4
F
USC Upstate
11
9
17
19
56
UNC Asheville
12
22
14
9
57
Balanced Scoring Leads Bulldogs Past USC Upstate in Ingles I-26 Rivalry on Wednesday
01.21.2026 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A balanced scoring effort led UNC Asheville Women's Basketball past USC Upstate by a score of 57-56 in the Ingles I-26 Rivalry on Wednesday (Jan. 21) inside Kimmel Arena.
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 The teams played a low-scoring defensive first quarter, as Asheville took a 12-11 lead to the second.
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Asheville would stretch their lead in the second quarter, holding Upstate to just nine points while scoring 22 as they led 34-20 at the break. The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run punctuated by back-to-back three-pointers from Aileen Marquez, before the teams would trade buckets into the final three minutes of the quarter. A score from Clementina Odom finally pushed the Bulldog lead to double digits, as the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 9-2 run heading to the half.
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Upstate would close the gap slightly in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to Asheville's 14. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to as many as 19 in the period, scoring the first five points of the quarter on a triple from Journee McDaniel and a bucket from Jamaria Freeman. Upstate would go on a run to cut the lead to as few as 10, before the Bulldogs would take a 48-37 lead to the fourth.
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Upstate cut the lead to eight halfway through the quarter, before eventually getting it down to four. Freeman knocked down a clutch triple to spike the lead back to seven with two minutes to play, before Upstate attempted to mount a furious rally in the final minute. The Bulldogs would hold on for the rivalry win on their home floor.
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Asheville out-scored Upstate 16-12 off turnovers, 10-8 on fast breaks and 22-6 off the bench in the game while also scoring 22 points in the paint and 14 points on second chances. Asheville shot 45.1 percent (23-51) from the floor, 29.4 percent (5-17) from beyond the arc and just 50.0 percent (6-12) from the foul line in the game. Freeman paced the Bulldogs with 13 points, while McDaniel scored 11 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Nia Green and Jaidyn Koerdt each added seven points in the game, while Marquez had six points and Kristen McMillan added five points. Odom chipped in four points in the game, while Deborah Orianegbena and D'yanna Maxey each had two points in the win. Along with McDaniel's game-high 11 boards, Green had four along with two each from Orianegbena and McMillan. Freeman and Odom each also had one rebound in the game. Freeman dished out a game-high six assists in the win, while Green matched her career-high with five assists and McDaniel also added three helpers in the game.Freeman, McDaniel, Green and Marquez each had two steals in the game for Asheville, while Odom also had one block in the game.
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The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday (Jan. 24) at Radford in Big South Conference action. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. from the Dedmon Center with video, live stats and tickets available at www.uncabulldogs.com.
About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank
First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.1 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 113 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina and a nationwide SBA platform. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.
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 The teams played a low-scoring defensive first quarter, as Asheville took a 12-11 lead to the second.
Â
Asheville would stretch their lead in the second quarter, holding Upstate to just nine points while scoring 22 as they led 34-20 at the break. The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run punctuated by back-to-back three-pointers from Aileen Marquez, before the teams would trade buckets into the final three minutes of the quarter. A score from Clementina Odom finally pushed the Bulldog lead to double digits, as the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 9-2 run heading to the half.
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Upstate would close the gap slightly in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to Asheville's 14. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to as many as 19 in the period, scoring the first five points of the quarter on a triple from Journee McDaniel and a bucket from Jamaria Freeman. Upstate would go on a run to cut the lead to as few as 10, before the Bulldogs would take a 48-37 lead to the fourth.
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Upstate cut the lead to eight halfway through the quarter, before eventually getting it down to four. Freeman knocked down a clutch triple to spike the lead back to seven with two minutes to play, before Upstate attempted to mount a furious rally in the final minute. The Bulldogs would hold on for the rivalry win on their home floor.
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Asheville out-scored Upstate 16-12 off turnovers, 10-8 on fast breaks and 22-6 off the bench in the game while also scoring 22 points in the paint and 14 points on second chances. Asheville shot 45.1 percent (23-51) from the floor, 29.4 percent (5-17) from beyond the arc and just 50.0 percent (6-12) from the foul line in the game. Freeman paced the Bulldogs with 13 points, while McDaniel scored 11 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Nia Green and Jaidyn Koerdt each added seven points in the game, while Marquez had six points and Kristen McMillan added five points. Odom chipped in four points in the game, while Deborah Orianegbena and D'yanna Maxey each had two points in the win. Along with McDaniel's game-high 11 boards, Green had four along with two each from Orianegbena and McMillan. Freeman and Odom each also had one rebound in the game. Freeman dished out a game-high six assists in the win, while Green matched her career-high with five assists and McDaniel also added three helpers in the game.Freeman, McDaniel, Green and Marquez each had two steals in the game for Asheville, while Odom also had one block in the game.
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The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday (Jan. 24) at Radford in Big South Conference action. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. from the Dedmon Center with video, live stats and tickets available at www.uncabulldogs.com.
About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank
First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.1 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 113 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina and a nationwide SBA platform. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.
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Team Stats
USCU
AVL
FG%
.414
.451
3FG%
.167
.294
FT%
.750
.500
RB
35
26
TO
17
15
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
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