University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
12-14,6-6Big South
Presbyterian
13-14,6-6Big South
Asheville Falls to Presbyterian, 58-57
02.14.2026 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A pair of free throws with four seconds remaining lifted Presbyterian past UNC Asheville, 58-57, on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14) in Kimmel Arena.
Kameron Taylor led the Bulldogs with 19 points, five assists and two steals. DJ Patrick added 14 points while playing all 40 minutes for the fourth time this season, and Justin Wright finished with 10 points, two assists and two steals. Toyaz Solomon narrowly missed a double-double, totaling eight points and nine rebounds to go along with three steals and a season-high four blocks.
ON THE COURT
Asheville struck first after winning the opening tip, as Taylor buried a three just a minute into the game. The Bulldogs controlled much of the first half, leading for 16:20 and limiting Presbyterian to just 23 seconds in front.
Sage Tolentino pushed Asheville's advantage to its largest of the half at six, 30-24, with a putback at the 3:03 mark. The Blue Hose trimmed the deficit to three before halftime, sending the Bulldogs into the break ahead, 30-27.
The second half featured seven lead changes and four ties. Asheville quickly built a five-point edge out of the locker room after a Taylor steal and layup made it 32-27, but Presbyterian responded to tie the game at 34 and later grabbed a brief three-point lead.
After the Blue Hose stretched their advantage to four (43-39), Asheville answered with a 9-0 run to reclaim control, 48-43. Taylor sparked the surge with a layup, Patrick knocked down a three, and Taylor capped the run with a jumper in the paint.
Presbyterian continued to chip away and regained the lead, 51-50, with 6:14 to play. Patrick's second three-pointer of the afternoon put Asheville back in front, and Taylor extended the margin to 55-51 with just over five minutes remaining.
With 2:11 left, Taylor pushed the lead to three, but Presbyterian cut it to one with a minute to go. A foul with four seconds remaining sent the Blue Hose to the line, where they converted both free throws for the decisive one-point edge. Asheville's final attempt at the buzzer fell short.
IN THE BOX
- Asheville shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field, while Presbyterian shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53).
- The Bulldogs were 3-of-15 from three-point range; the Blue Hose finished 5-of-16.
- At the free-throw line, Asheville went 6-of-9 and Presbyterian 7-of-12.
- Asheville held advantages in points off turnovers (13-11), points in the paint (40-32) and bench scoring (4-0).
- Presbyterian led in second-chance points (13-4), fast-break points (13-11) and rebounds (35-33).
- The Bulldogs recorded nine steals and committed 10 turnovers, compared to five steals and 13 turnovers for the Blue Hose.
UP NEXT
Asheville (12-14, 6-6 BSC) travels to High Point to face the Panthers on ESPNU on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.
