Women's Hoops to Host Southern Wesleyan

UNC Asheville returns home to the Justice Center on Friday night to take on Southern Wesleyan. The Bulldogs (2-5) have lost four straight, including a brutal three-game road trip that concluded with a 59-37 loss at Charlotte on Saturday. Southern Wesleyan (6-2, 1-2 SSAC) boasts a high-scoring offense that could present a real challenge for Asheville.

The Bulldogs have put forth a good defensive effort but have yet to find an explosive scoring threat this season. No Asheville player currently averages double-figure points per game, but four are close. Lindsey Thompson leads the team in scoring at 9.6 PPG, and Lindsey Montgomery (9.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG) and Linda Aughburns (8.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG) have been consistent producers at both ends of the floor. Chioma Okoli (8.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG) has been solid but has not yet taken over a game offensively.

The Bulldogs struggled on Saturday with turnovers and poor field goal shooting. After protecting the ball much better against Western Carolina, Asheville committed 30 turnovers against Charlotte, the Bulldogs’ second game with at least 30 giveaways this season. Asheville shot over 40 percent in the first half, but 19 percent from the field (including 11 percent from three-point range) in the second half sealed the Bulldogs’ fate.

Southern Wesleyan has had no shortage of offense early this season. The Warriors average 84 points per game, and have four players averaging double-figures. Sophomore Kayla Plantin leads the team in points (16.0), rebounds (7.3), and field goal percentage (an astronomical .658). Senior point guard Kesha Smith averages 14.9 points on .579 shooting, along with team-highs 4.6 assists and 3.3 steals. Smith has turned in four points-assists double-doubles this season. Kendra Brooks averages 12.6 PPG for the Warriors, and Janaye Gillard rounds out the group with 12.4 (on .538 shooting).

Southern Wesleyan was picked to finish seventh in the Southern States Athletic Conference this season, but has reeled off some impressive wins in the early going, including a 72-44 clobbering of Montreat. On Saturday, the Warriors came up just short at Lee University, losing 95-85 to the 6^th-ranked NAIA squad in the nation. Gillard (23 points) and Smith (22 points, 10 assists) had big nights as Southern Wesleyan asserted its status as a contender in the SSAC.

UNC Asheville’s offensive woes on Saturday can be attributed to the stifling defense of Charlotte, which enjoyed a substantial size advantage over the Bulldogs. The much more porous defense of Southern Wesleyan will give the Bulldogs an opportunity to get the offense on track as they begin to gear up for conference play. The game tips off at 7 p.m.

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.