University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Gardner-Webb
GAME PREVIEW: Bulldogs Travel to Gardner-Webb for Final Road Tilt
02.25.2026 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- Game 29
- UNC Asheville (13-15, 7-7) vs Gardner-Webb (3-26, 1-13)
- Thursday, Feb. 26
- 7 p.m.
- Boiling Springs, N.C. || Paul Porter Arena
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
- Radio
LAST TIME OUT
UNC Asheville enters Thursday's game coming off a thrilling 74-73 overtime win over Radford in Homecoming action on Saturday (Feb. 21). The Bulldogs and Highlanders battled in a back-and-forth contest featuring 10 lead changes and 11 ties before Asheville prevailed in extra time. Senior Toyaz Solomon led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, while Justin Wright added 21 points — including 13 in the second half. Kameron Taylor chipped in 16 points with three triples and six assists, helping fuel the Bulldogs' comeback late, including a clutch jumper by Solomon to force overtime. Asheville shot 48% from the floor and dominated the paint, outscoring Radford 48–20 inside, and forced 12 turnovers while committing eight. The overtime win moved Asheville back into a tie for fourth in the Big South standings with a week left in the regular season.
STANDINGS UPDATE
2025-26 Men's Basketball Standings
- Asheville and Presbyterian are tied for fourth at 7–7 in Big South play.
- Radford sits in third at 8–6.
- High Point has clinched at least a share of the Big South regular-season title after its 89–87 win over Winthrop (Feb. 21) and is 14–1 in conference play with one game remaining.
- High Point travels to Presbyterian on Thursday (ESPNU) and can secure:
- Its third straight outright regular-season championship
- The No. 1 seed in next week's Air Force Reserve Big South Men's Basketball Championship
- If High Point loses and Winthrop wins out, the Panthers and Eagles would finish as co-regular-season champions.
- Winthrop could earn the No. 1 seed if:
- It wins both games this week
- High Point loses
- Presbyterian finishes ahead of Longwood in the standings
- Longwood is 7–8 and plays Radford on Saturday (Feb. 28).
- Charleston Southern and USC Upstate enter this week at 4-10 and tied for seventh. The Buccaneers host Winthrop on Thursday before CSU heads to Asheville on Saturday. Upstate is at Raford on Thursday before hosting Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
- The Runnin' Bulldogs are in ninth at 1-13 in league play.
TEAM TAP-IN
Asheville leads the Big South with 11 games featuring multiple 20-point scorers, including three contests in which Toyaz Solomon, Kameron Taylor and Justin Wright each reached the 20-point mark. The Bulldogs are 6-0 in conference play when making at least seven three-pointers.
- Nov. 8: Wright (33), Taylor (29)
- Nov. 25: Taylor (23), Solomon (21), Wright (20)
- Dec. 10: Solomon (31), Wright (26)
- Jan. 3: Solomon (34), Wright (22), Taylor (21)
- Jan. 10: Taylor (27), Patrick (24)
- Jan. 14: Wright (26), Taylor (22)
- Jan. 17: Taylor (26), Solomon (20)
- Jan. 21: Taylor (27), Wright (20)
- Jan. 31: Taylor (25), Wright (21)
- Feb. 12: Wright (24), Solomon (24), Taylor (22)
- Feb. 21: Solomon (23), Wright (21)
TAY'S MILESTONES
Toyaz Solomon became just the 14th player in Big South history—and the third Bulldog—to record 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 assists. He joined the conference's 1,000-point club on Jan. 14 and now has 1,146 career points.
Solomon recorded his 100th career block on Jan. 17, becoming the 53rd player in league history to reach that mark. He now has 118 blocks, ranking 10th in Asheville's record book. He is also a member of the Big South's 500-rebound club, which he joined on Feb. 12, and now has 535 boards and has totaled 126 career assists.
Solomon is third in the league with eight double-doubles.
WRIGHT ON TARGET
Justin Wright has started and appeared in all 28 games this season, scoring in double figures in 25 contests. He is averaging 17.0 points per game in conference play. He leads the team with 48 assists and an .800 free throw percentage in league play.
KT'S CONSISTENCY
Kameron Taylor leads the Big South with 14 games of 20 or more points (10 in conference play). He ranks third in the league in conference scoring at 20.6 points per game.
MORRELL ON THE CLIMB
Head Coach Mike Morrell is currently tied for 13th all-time in Big South history with 129 overall wins.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Asheville accounts for four of the conference's top six players in minutes played per game, led by Patrick with 35:11, followed by Taylor in second with 34:03, Wright in fifth with 32:36, and Solomon in sixth with 32:26.
Patrick has played every minute of five games this season.
A LOOK AT GARDNER-WEBB
Gardner-Webb enters Thursday's contest following a 70-82 loss at Radford last Thursday.
Jacob Hogarth leads GWU with seven double-doubles of the season and leads the team, averaging 11.6 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game in league play.
Colin Hawkins leads Gardner-Webb with 32 assists and is averaging 10.4 points per game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
Asheville defeated Gardner-Webb 69–50 on Jan. 29 in Kimmel Arena. The Bulldogs knocked down 10 3-pointers with DJ Patrick sinking five. Wright and Patrick both recorded 16 points, Taylor had 12 points, and Daniel Thomas had a double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 points.
OVERALL STATISTICAL COMPARISON
|
2025-26 Season |
Asheville |
Gardner-Webb |
| Scoring Offense | 72.9 | 68.7 |
| Scoring Defense | 71.9 | 87.1 |
| Scoring Margin | 1.0 | -18.4 |
| FG Percentage | .455 | .430 |
| FG Pct. Defense | .439 | .498 |
| 3PT Percentage | .353 | .311 |
| FT Percentage | .693 | .681 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 34.9 | 30.7 |
| Assists Per Game | 11.2 | 10.3 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 12.2 | 14.0 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.8 | 6.2 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.7 | 2.4 |
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