UNC ASHEVILLE Winthrop Coliseum
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Games 17-18 | Rock Hill, N.C. January 28-29, 2021 | 7 / 6 p.m. UNC ASHEVILLE Winthrop Coliseum BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | 7 Big South Regular Season Titles | 5 Big South Tournament Titles 2020-21 GAME NOTES | Contact: Phil Marcello Phone: (804-381-1193) Email: [email protected] WINTHROP UNIVERSITY (15-0, 12-0 Big South) vs. UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (9-8, 8-4 Big South) MATCHUP BULLDOG BITES 2020-21 SCHEDULE ESPNU DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT To accommodate the ESPNU broadcast, the Ashe- 11/27 UNC WILMINGTON $ L, 68-76 ville-Winthrop series was moved from its original 11.28 WESTERN CAROLINA $ L, 81-83 (OT) dates of February 18-19, making Thursday the 12/5 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE W, 77-56 fifth game in 10 days for Asheville. The match-up 12/8 EAST TENNESSEE STATE ^ Ppd. will mark the fifth meeting between the squads 12/12 HIGH POINT * W, 80-67 on ESPNU, with each school winning twice. This 12/13 HIGH POINT * W, 90-84 (OT) UNC WINTHROP will be Asheville’s 11th appearance overall on the 12/16 at Chattanooga L, 66-69 ASHEVILLE UNIVERSITY network. 12/22 at Marshall L, 67-88 12/30 at Longwood * W, 80-73 12/31 at Longwood * L, 55-65 2020-21 Record 2020-21 Record SCOUTING WINTHROP 1/9 at Hampton * L, 71-73 9-8 . 7-3 Big South 15-0 . 12-0 Big South The Eagles have been untouchable this season, 1/10 at Hampton * W, 85-77 going 15-0 overall and 12-0 in conference play. 1/14 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN * W, 92-54 Last Game Last Game Winthrop has had some scares, winning three 1/15 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN * W, 83-75 vs. Radford vs. Presbyterian contests by five points or less including a one-point 1/19 at Gardner-Webb * W, 79-75 L, 57-84 W, 78-66 win over Campbell and a two-point victory over 1/20 at Gardner-Webb * L, 57-84 at Asheville at Presbyterian Charleston Southern. The star for Winthrop has 1/24 RADFORD * W, 76-68 (OT) been senior Chandler Vaudrin, who has been 1/25 RADFORD * L, 63-73 Head Coach Head Coach named Big South Player or Co-Player of the Week 1/28 at Winthrop * 7:00 pm Mike Morrell Pat Kelsey three times already. The 6-foot-7 guard leads 1/29 at Winthrop * 6:00 pm Milligan (2005) Xavier (‘98) the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), ranks second in 2/4 CAMPBELL * 4:00pm 28-51 . 3rd Season AVL (180-93) . 9th Season the league in rebounding (6.9 rpg) while pacing 2/5 CAMPBELL * 2:00pm 2/11 at USC Upstate * 5:30pm Career Record (Same) Career Record (Same) the conference with 114 assists, ranking second 2/12 at USC Upstate * 5:30pm 3rd Season -- in Division I in that category. Vaudrin powers a Winthrop offense that averages 82.9 points per 2/18 PRESBYTERIAN * 4:00pm 2/19 PRESBYTERIAN * 2:00pm game (19th, DI) while the Eagles defense is forcing over 17 turnovers a game and holding opponents SERIES HISTORY March 2-7 Big South Championship TBA to 70.3 points per contest. All-Time Record: Winthrop, 44-36 First Meeting: 1984-85, Asheville 71-66 THE SERIES $ Mako Medical Asheville Invitational (MTE) Last Meeting: Feb. 1, 2020 - Winthrop, 104-71 Winthrop has gotten the better of Asheville over *Big South Game Streak: Winthrop, 3 the years, going 44-36 all-time and currently riding ^Harrah’s Cherokee Center Last AVL Victory: Feb. 22, 2018 - 89-75 a three-game win streak in the series. Asheville’s last victory over the Eagles came on February 22, POSSIBLE STARTERS BROADCAST INFO Thursday PxP: Matt Schick Analyst: Chris Spatolo Friday #0 #3 #2 #1 #10 PxP: Mike Pacheo LAVAR TAJION LJ JAMON EVAN Analyst: Reggie Walker BATTS, JR JONES THORPE BATTLE CLAYBORNE Radio - ESPN Asheville PxP: Brian Hall Pts 5.2 Pts 16.4 Pts 12.2 Pts 7.8 Pts 7.9 Analyst: Mike Gore Reb 2.4 Reb 3.7 Reb 4.3 Reb 3.9 Reb 6.1 When referring to the UNC Asheville Ast 57 Ast 15 Ast 56 Ast 16 Ast 15 basketball team, please use UNC Stl 33 FG% .473 FG% .497 FG% .622 FG% .610 Asheville or Asheville, or AVL for short. FG% .311 3FG% .421 3FG% .429 Blocks 10 Blocks 24 Please DO NOT use UNCA or UNC-A. /UNCAvlBulldogs @UNCAvlMBB @uncavlmbb www.UNCABulldogs.com BULLDOG BITES CONTINUED 2018 in Kimmel Arena, topping Winthrop 89-75 to BLOCK PARTY vs. 2020-21 OPPONENTS clinch a share of the Big South regular-season title. Bolstered by the arrival of Evan Clayborne, Ashe- (All-Time) The two sides played just once last season, with ville ranks 61st in the NCAA in blocks per game Nonconference the Eagles winning 104-71 in Rock Hill. (4.2), ranking 17th in total blocks (72). Clayborne ranks third in the Big South with an average of 1.4 UNC Wilmington 16-10 BAKER’S BACK per game. As a unit, Asheville’s 72 blocks rank Western Carolina 23-32 It didn’t take long for junior DeVon Baker to get third among conference foes. South Carolina State 4-4 back into the groove, leading the Bulldogs in three ETSU 6-16 straight games with a season-high 26 points in BATTling Back Chattanooga 0-8 Sunday’s overtime win against Radford. The pre- Despite trailing Western Carolina by 20 in the Marshall 1-4 season First Team All-Big South selection returned second half, sophomore Jamon Battle sparked to the Asheville lineup on January 14 against an overtime-forcing comeback, totaling 18 points Big South Conference Charleston Southern and is shooting 48.4 percent and 10 rebounds, with 16 points coming down the from the floor and 50.0 percent from 3-point range stretch. Presbyterian 23-13 in six games this season. Campbell 26-23 PRESEASON HONORS Charleston Southern 50-38 THREE IS KEY Two Bulldogs earned preseason recognition from High Point 34-25 Knocking down the 3-pointer has been key for the Big South Conference, while the Bulldogs were Hampton 1-4 Asheville’s success this season, going 6-1 in slated to finish second in the league: Longwood 14-3 games in which it shoots 40 percent or above Radford 38-39 from behind the arc and 3-7 when shooting below DeVon Baker - First Team USC Upstate 13-7 that number. The Bulldogs are led by Tajion Jones’ LJ Thorpe - Second Team 59 treys this season, which ranks second in all Gardner-Webb 21-34 of Division I. Jones, who is averaging 3.47 threes HIGH OCTANE Winthrop 36-44 per game (6th in DI), is shooting 42.1 percent Among Big South teams, UNC Asheville is third in scoring (75.9) and is third in field goal percentage from 3-point range while going 47.3 percent from BIGGEST WINNERS (48.2). the field. Jones’ 3-point shooting was never more The Bulldogs are among the best in the country in crucial than in the waning moments of Sunday’s improving their win total from 2018-19 to 2019-20. 76-68 win over Radford, when the redshirt junior 2019-20 NOTES connected three times in the last 49 seconds, Team Improvement 18-19 Ws 19-20 Ws including a buzzer-beater to knot the game up at TRIPLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE SFA plus-14 14 28 67-67 and force overtime. With Baker back in the LJ Thorpe became the second player in program WCU plus-12 7 19 mix, Asheville has four guys that can consistently history and first since Kenny George in 2007 to Asheville plus-11 4 15 hit from deep including LJ Thorpe (15, 42.9) and record a triple double, as he scored 17 points Little Rock plus-11 10 21 Coty Jude. Jude, who is second on the team with and recorded career-highs with 13 rebounds and 29 three-pointers, sparked Sunday’s comeback 10 assists at Hampton last season. He is one of with three straight 3-pointers in the second half just 24 players in Division I with a triple-double in followed by a trey from Lavar Batts, Jr. which cut 2019-20. the lead down to seven. MR. JONES AND ME THE 1,000-POINT CLUB Tajion Jones scored a season-high 29 points Redshirt junior Tajion Jones became the 36th against Radford last season, his team-leading player in UNC Asheville men’s basketball history to eighth 20-point performance this season. He has score 1,000 points with five against Gardner-Webb two back-to-back 20-point efforts on the season on Wednesday. Jones joins teammate DeVon Baker and is the only player on the roster to have multiple who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark last season in back-to-back 20-point games in his career. the Big South Quarterfinal loss to Gardner-Webb. Jones has been the most consistent scorer this NEXT UP TO BATTS season for the Bulldogs, leading the team with With 40 points against South Carolina State (last 17.3 points per game, ranking third in the nation in season), guard Lavar Batts Jr. became the first made 3-pointers with 54. Baker became just the Bulldog to score at least 40 since Andrew Rowsey third sophomore in program history and sixth in Big had 41 against Radford, Feb. 13, 2014. He con- South history to reach 1,000 points. Baker has ap- nected on 14-of-17 shots from the field, including peared in just four games this season, but dropped 3-of-5 from three, and 9-of-9 free throws.