Asheville, North Carolina News

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood Wednesday night when the Bulldogs travel to High Point for a key Big South Conference game at the Millis Center starting at 7 p.m. The game will be audio-streamed at www.uncabulldogs.com and can be seen on The Edge for a small fee at www.bigsouthsports.com.

UNC Asheville (12-14, 8-7 BSC) is trying to bounce back from a heart-breaking 66-65 defeat on Saturday to Big South Conference-leader Radford at Justice Center. The Bulldogs led most of the way against the Highlanders but just couldn’t put Radford away in the end.

"We really played pretty well against Radford but had some crucial mistakes that will cost you in a close game," commented UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "It was a tough loss but hopefully we’ll learn from it and be better the next time we get in that situation."

Biedenbach and his staff expect a tough game with a resurgent High Point squad on Wednesday. The Panthers (8-17, 4-11 BSC) have won three of their last four games, including victories over Winthrop and Gardner-Webb. Freshman guard Nick Barbour is averaging 13.9 points per game and knocked down 56 treys. Guard Eugene Harris is scoring 12.3 points per game and has 53 treys. The Bulldogs edged High Point 61-59 back on Jan. 13 at Justice Center in a game that the Panthers led most of the game.

"High Point is a tough match-up for us," said Biedenbach. "We have always had our hands full with them, and we were fortunate to beat them earlier this season. High Point has had a tough year with some close losses but they’re playing quite well right now."

The Millis Center has not been a place the Bulldogs have enjoyed playing at over the years. Asheville has lost five straight at High Point by an average margin of 18.8 points per game. The Dogs last win here came during the regular-season of the 2003-04 campaign when Asheville edged the Panthers, 78-73.

Senior forward Reid Augst leads the Bulldogs in scoring with a 15.5 average. John Williams has a 12.2 scoring average and leads the team in rebounding (6.8) and blocked shots (53). Matt Dickey has a 10.3 scoring average. Sean Smith is at 10.0 points per game and tops the club in three-pointers made with 57.

NOTES: Eddie Biedenbach has 104 Big South Conference victories and is tied with former Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall for second all-time in that category…UNC Asheville has five players averaging in double-figures in scoring in league games…the Bulldogs have been out-rebounded in 11 of their last 12 games…Sean Smith has 115 made three-pointers in his career and needs just two to pass Brandon Carter (116) into ninth place on the school’s all-time career list…Reid Augst is 12-of-16 from the three-point line in the last four games.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Amir Johnson scored with 1.5 seconds left to lift Big South-leader Radford to a 66-65 Big South Conference victory over homestanding UNC Asheville Saturday afternoon.

The Highlanders (15-10, 12-2 BSC) trailed 39-31 at halftime but rallied to win their sixth straight game and remain unbeaten in road games in Big South Conference play at 7-0.

The Bulldogs (12-14, 8-7 BSC) had a three-game winning streak snapped with the heartbreaking loss. UNC Asheville led for most of the game but could not put the visitors away.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman guard J.P. Primm with 17 points. John Williams added 16 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Sean Smith had 14 points and seven rebounds. Reid Augst contributed 11 points.

Radford was led by Artisom Parakhouski with a double-double as he scored 15 points and collected 14 rebounds. He also blocked four shots. Kenny Thomas and Joey Lynch-Flohr had 14 points each. Johnson added 12 points and a game-high seven assists.

"This is a tough loss," admitted UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "We played as hard as we could and battled against a very good Radford team but a few mistakes really hurt us in the end. We’ve bounced back before from tough losses, and we will bounce back from this one.&quot

Lynch-Flohr scored on a lay-up to give Radford a 62-61 lead at the 1:21 mark. It was the Highlanders’ first lead since early in the game. The Bulldogs came back and took the lead when Augst scored on a driving lay-up with 58 seconds left to put Asheville in front 63-62.

RU missed a three-point from Johnson but Thomas got the rebound and scored when Williams was called for goal-tending at the 22-second mark.

The Bulldogs got the ball to Smith, who scored on a driving lay-up and was fouled with 7.3 seconds left. Asheville led 65-54. Smith missed the free throw and Johnson came down with the rebound. He got the ball down to Johnson who quickly drove down the floor and hit a lay-up at the 1.5 second mark to give the Highlanders the lead and the win.

Asheville used red-hot shooting from beyond the arc to lead in the first half. The Bulldogs were a sizzling 10-of-17 from the three-point line and led 39-31 at halftime. Primm scored 13 of his points in the opening half and knocked down three treys, including a long three-pointer as the first-half buzzer sounded to give the Dogs the eight-point lead.

Radford quickly rallied in the second half behind Parahouski. The junior center scored points in the first five minutes of the half to get the Highlanders back in the game at 43-41.

The Bulldogs managed to keep Radford at bay behind the play of Williams. He scored 11 of his points in the second half to keep Asheville in front.

The Highlanders out-rebounded the Bulldogs 40-32 and out-scored Asheville 34-20 in the paint.

Both teams face tough Big South road games in their next game. UNC Asheville travels to High Point Wednesday night (Feb. 18) at 7 p.m. Radford plays at Charleston Southern Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

www.uncabulldogs.com

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Setting a school record for 3-point shooting, Reid Augst scored all 19 of his points in the second half to help lead the UNCA Bulldogs to a 80-71 victory over Charleston Southern on Saturday night.

Shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the three point mark, Augst also became the 24th Bulldog player in school history to score over 1,000 career points with 1,008.

Matt Dickey helped with 15 points, followed by John Williams with 14, J.P. Primm with 13 and Sean Smith with 10.

The Bulldogs are now 11-13 and just over .500 in the Big South Conference at 7-6.

The Bulldogs next host Gardner-Webb on Wednesday at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.uncabulldogs.com or by calling, 828-251-6904.