UNC Asheville will wrap up a three game road trip on Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Charlotte to face the 49ers at Halton Arena. The Bulldogs (2-4) have lost three straight, culminating with a tough 62-51 loss in Cullowhee to rival Western Carolina on Wednesday night. Charlotte (2-5) has performed well against some of the nation’s best, and crushed Presbyterian 72-36 on Wednesday in its only meeting with a Big South Team.
The Atlantic 10 preseason poll picked Charlotte to finish second in the conference. The 49ers are led by Aysha Jones and Shannon McCallum. Jones, a first team all-conference selection, is averaging 11.9 points per game, and had a team-high 14 against Presbyterian in only 20 minutes of work. McCallum was named to the conference’s second team in the preseason and averages 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. She poured in 25 points in a closely-fought overtime loss to South Carolina in November. In addition to the Gamecocks, Charlotte has played close games this season against Indiana and Duke.
Linda Aughburns led the Bulldogs on Wednesday night with 14 points and 7 rebounds, bringing her season averages to 8.5 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds. Lindsey Montgomery is also a double-double threat in the sixth man role, averaging 9.4 and 7.4. Lindsey Thompson leads the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game. Guard Kendall Shepard has also played well lately, scoring in double figures in two of her last three outings. Shepard is also the team’s assists leader, with 17.
Last season, Charlotte defeated the Bulldogs 72-50 at the Justice Center. That game was highlighted by a 19 point performance on 6-of-9 shooting from Jones. Montgomery had a strong showing for the Bulldogs in that game, with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Charlotte leads the all-time series 11-3 over the Bulldogs and has won the last four meetings.
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