Men's Basketball Tops Gardner-Webb 58-56

The Bulldogs may have opened the season with a six game slump against a grueling non-conference schedule, but UNC Asheville remained undefeated in Big South play on Friday night, capturing a thrilling 58-56 victory at Gardner-Webb. Chris Stephenson tipped in the winning bucket with 1.6 seconds on the clock to give the Bulldogs (1-6, 1-0) their first win of the season. It was the third consecutive loss for Gardner-Webb (3-3, 0-1).

Sean Smith led the Bulldogs in scoring for the second straight outing. The senior guard put up 18 points and had another solid night from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-9 from three-point range. Stephenson was a big contributor down the stretch for Asheville, scoring all of his 13 points in the second half. John Williams filled out the box score with nine points, six rebounds, three blocks, and four steals.

The Bulldogs were able to slow down Gardner-Webb’s top two scoring threats, holding Grayson Flittner to eight points, and allowing Auryn MacMillan a season-low four. Anton Silver led the Runnin’ Bulldogs with 14 points, and C.J. Hailey added 11. After a long see-saw battle, Asheville took a 55-50 lead with 1:10 to play, but two turnovers and a missed free throw enabled Gardner-Webb to tie things up on a jumper from Hailey with 10 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Matt Dickey’s shot was off target, but Stephenson was there with the tip-in to silence the crowd at Porter Arena.

Many of the Bulldogs’ early season issues were evident in Friday’s game. Asheville shot only 38 percent from the field, turned the ball over 19 times, and was outrebounded 45-30. Although free throw shooting was improved, the Bulldogs still shot below 70 percent as a team. UNC Asheville tightened up on defense, however, collecting 11 steals and forcing 23 total Gardner-Webb turnovers. The Bulldogs were also able to limit Gardner-Webb to a woeful 23 percent from the field in the second half. In the end, when the Bulldogs needed a clutch basket for the win in regulation, they were able to get it.

The Bulldogs have the week off for exams and are back in action on Sunday, when they host Montreat (2-9, 1-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) to begin a four game home stand.