UNC ASHEVILLE Kimmel Arena

Games 8 & 9 | vs Longwood December 30 & 31, 2020 | 2 p.m. Asheville, N.C. UNC ASHEVILLE Kimmel Arena

BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | 1 Big South Regular Season Title | 3 Big South Tournament Titles

2020-21 GAME NOTES | Contact: Andy Fisher Phone: (320) 583-3658 Email: [email protected]

LONGWOOD LANCERS (3-4, 2-0 BIG SOUTH) AT UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (2-5, 1-1 BIG SOUTH)

MATCHUP BULLDOG BITES 2020-21 SCHEDULE 2-5, 1-1 LAST TIME OUT The Bulldogs fell on the road at High Point in their DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT last time out, 77-63. The loss pushed Asheville’s 11/25 WESTERN CAROLINA W - 70-59 record to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in league action. 11/29 AT APPALACHIAN STATE L - 70-60 12/6 WOFFORD L - 76-50 1,000 POINT WATCH 12/9 FLORIDA L - 70-48 12/12 AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE L - 69-60 Senior Nadiria Evans is on the doorstep of joining 12/19 AT HIGH POINT* W - 63-54 an exclusive club in UNC Asheville women’s UNC LONGWOOD 12/20 AT HIGH POINT* L - 77-63 basketball history. Evans, who is averaging a ASHEVILLE 12/30 LONGWOOD* 2 PM league-best 20.3 points per game, needs just two 12/31 LONGWOOD* 2 PM 2020-21 Record 2020-21 Record more points to become the 22nd player in program 1/4 AT PRESBYTERIAN* 6 PM 2-5, 1-1 Big South 3-4, 2-0 Big South history to reach this milestone. 1/5 AT PRESBYTERIAN* 5 PM 1/9 HAMPTON* 2 PM Last Game Last Game DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE 1/10 HAMPTON* 2 PM at High Point vs. Howard The Bulldogs notched their first conference victory 1/15 AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN* 7 PM L, 77-63 W, 89-78 of the season on December 19 at High Point, 1/16 AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN* 5 PM High Point, N.C. Farmville, Va. defeating the Panthers 63-54. The low point total 1/22 AT RADFORD* 5 PM against High Point continues a trend for Asheville 1/23 AT RADFORD* 3 PM Head Coach Head Coach when it comes to defense. Since the start of last 2/5 USC UPSTATE* 5 PM Honey Brown Rebecca Tillett season, the Bulldogs are 16-3 when holding their 2/6 USC UPSTATE* 4 PM Maryville (Tenn.) (1994) William & Mary (1999) opponents to 60 points or fewer. 2/12 AT CAMPBELL* 5 PM 2-5 . 1st Season 18-49 . 3rd Season 2/13 AT CAMPBELL* 3 PM Asheville Longwood 30 POINT GAME 2/19 WINTHROP* 5 PM 2-5 Career Record 18-49 Career Record Another big key in the Bulldogs win over High Point 2/20 WINTHROP* 4 PM 1st Career Season 3rd Career Season was the play of Evans in that contest. The senior 2/26 GARDNER-WEBB* 5 PM from Gainesville, Florida, netted a career-high 34 2/27 GARDNER-WEBB* 4 PM SERIES HISTORY points, including a 14-for-15 effort from the free throw line in the victory. The 34-point outburst is *Big South Game All-Time Record: 13-7 the most of any Big South player this season and #Big South Tournament Game First Meeting: 2004-05 - AVL - 66, LWU - 50 the first 30-point performance by a Bulldog since Most Recent Meeting: 2/4/20 - LWU - 54, AVL - 51 Sonora Dengokl scored 36 points on January 15, Streak: L2 2019, against USC Upstate. Last AVL Victory: 2/19/19 - AVL - 68, LWU - 57

Possible Starters BROADCAST INFO

Play-By-Play Matt Stradley Color Commentary Phil Marcello

#0 #1 #14 #23 #24 NADIRIA AMARYAH AMANDA FAITH KAI EVANS CORPENING BLAKE ADAMS CARTER Play-By-Play Mike Gore PPG 20.3 PPG 9.4 PPG 2.3 PPG 3.7 PPG 13.0 Reb. 3.0 Ast 1.9 Reb. 4.0 Reb. 2.1 Reb. 7.9 Ast. 2.4 Reb. 4.4 Blk. 0.3 Ast. 1.3 Stl. 1.1 FG%. .562 FG% .280 FG% .467 MPG 22.4 FG% .341 FT% .750 FT% .700 MPG 13.3 FT% .833 3FG% .295

/UNCAvlBulldogs2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL@UNCAvlWBB | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @uncavlwbb@UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBINGwww.UNCABulldogs.com | #FEO IT’S WHAT YOU NOTE

BULLDOG BITES MORE BULLDOG BITES 2020-21 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL RK TEAM (1st-place votes) POINTS BIG SOUTH SUCCESS AT HOME BUILDING A WINNING CULTURE 1. Campbell (6) 112 Wednesday and Thursday will be the first Big South Despite having their 2019-20 season cut 2. Radford (2) 107 games for the Bulldogs at home this season. Ashe- short, the Bulldogs were still able to finish the ville has built up a stellar home-court advantage campaign with a winning record at 16-14. It 3. High Point (3) 104 against its conference foes recently. Since the start marks the fifth straight winning season for 4. Hampton 86 of the 2017-18 season, the Bulldogs have won 64 Asheville. Radford is the only other Big South 5. Gardner-Webb 70 percent of their games at home against league op- school that can say the same among current ponents, and they have finished with a .500 record conference members that have competed in 6. Longwood 66 or better in each season. the league each season since 2015-16. 7. UNC Asheville 56 ABOUT THE OPPONENT PRESEASON PREDICTION 8. Presbyterian 48 Longwood will bring a three-game winning streak UNC Asheville was projected to finish 9. USC Upstate 30 into Kimmel Arena on Wednesday. During this seventh in the annual Big South Preseason 10. Charleston Southern 24 stretch, the Lancers have knocked off Radford Poll earlier this month. It marks the third twice (91-60, 84-55) and Howard (89-78). Long- time in program history, the Bulldogs have 11. Winthrop 23 wood enters its matchup with the Bulldogs as one been predicted to finish seventh, with the of just two teams in the Big South to still have an last being in 2015-16. In that instance, the undefeated record in conference play (2-0) with Bulldogs racked up 26 victories on their way vs. 2020-21 OPPONENTS Charleston Southern (2-0) being the other. Sitting to winning the Big South Regular Season and at a 3-4 record overall, the Lancers lead the Big Tournament Championships. Nonconference South in scoring offense (76.3 PPG) and blocks (5.3 BPG). HEY, I KNOW YOU Western Carolina 17-40 Unlike the players, there will be some familiar Appalachian State 4-15 SERIES REWIND VS. LONGWOOD faces coaching the Bulldogs. In addition to Wofford 8-8 The series history between the Bulldogs and Head Coach Honey Brown, who spent the Florida 0-1 Lancers is relatively small compared to others past eight seasons on the coaching staff, South Carolina State 4-4 within the conference. Asheville has won 13 of the Andre Jurko returns for his fifth season with 20 meetings, including the first matchup back in the team, and alums Paige Love (‘16) and Jessica Wall (‘19) return to Asheville to coach Big South Conference the 2004-05 season. However, Longwood won both games between the two programs last season by the 2020-21 Bulldogs. High Point 17-40 scores of 73-56 and 54-51. Longwood 13-7 STAYING HOME Presbyterian 17-12 WIN #1 DOWN One of the Bulldogs’ newcomers might not Hampton 0-4 With the victory over Western Carolina in late be a new name to fans that follow local November, Head Coach Honey Brown picked up high school basketball. Asheville native Charleston Southern 38-34 her first win in her first game leading the Bulldog Lani Woods suited up for her hometown Radford 25-56 program. She is the first Bulldog Head Coach to win school for the first time last Sunday against USC Upstate 9-5 their first game since Lalon Jones began his tenure Wofford Woods played for North Buncombe Campbell 15-40 with an 84-76 win over Tusculum in 1989. High School in Asheville before joining the Winthrop 38-39 Bulldogs. Woods is the first Asheville native to suit up for the Bulldogs since Gentry Manley Gardner-Webb 13-21 (Roberson HS) back in 2012-13.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

AVL STAT LWU Bulldogs vs. Longwood - Total (Per Game Averages) 59.1 Scoring Offense 76.9 Name GP Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. 67.8 Scoring Defense 76.3 Nadiria Evans 6 46 (7.7) 14 (2.3) 14 (2.3)10 (1.6) .368 Field Goal % .384 Amarayah Corpening 5 25 (5.0) 4 (0.8) 8 (1.6) 5 (1.) .411 FG Defense % .427 Tamiah Lewis 4 11 (2.8) 4 (1.0) 2 (0.5) -

.231 3PT Field Goal % .254 Lani Woods - - - - - .294 3PT FG Defense % .290 Maliyah Lockett - - - - - .708 Free Throw % .808 Jamia Blake - - - - - 34.7 Rebound Per Game 41.9 Raquel Cassidy ------2.6 Rebound Margin -3.5 Amanda Blake - - - - - 7.6 Assists Per Game 11.3 Summer Dilwood - - - - - 16.1 Turnovers Per Game 14.6 Faith Adams 2 - 2 (1.0) - - 5.3 Steals Per Game 8.9 Kai Carter 2 2 (1.0) 2 (1.0) - 2 (1.0) 0.9 Blocks Per Game 5.3 Abigail Wilson - - - - -

2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBING | #FEO 2020-21 BULLDOGS ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown/Previous School 0 Nadiria Evans G 5-8 Sr. Gainesville, Fla. / Oak Hall School 1 Amaryah Corpening G 5-7 Sr. Morganton, N.C. / Freedom HS 2 Tamiah Lewis G 5-7 Sr. Atlanta, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian 3 Lani Woods G 5-10 Fr. Asheville, N.C. / North Buncombe HS 5 Maliyah Lockett G 5-9 R-Fr. Blythewood, S.C. / Westwood HS 11 Jamia Blake G 5-8 Fr. Rock Hill, S.C. / South Pointe HS 12 Raquel Cassidy F 5-11 So. Gainesville, Fla. / College of Central Florida 14 Amanda Blake F 6-2 Fr. Phoenix, Ariz. / Ashley Ridge HS 22 Summer Dilwood G 5-9 R-Fr. Atlanta, Ga. / Tucker HS 23 Faith Adams G 5-6 So. Murfreesboro, Tenn. / Oakland HS 24 Kai Carter G 6-0 So. Atlanta, Ga. / Paideia HS 40 Abigail Wilson F 5-11 Fr. China Grove, N.C. / West Rowan HS

Head Coach: Honey Brown Pronunciation Guide Assistant Coach: Andre Jurko #0 - nah-DEER-e-ah Assistant Coach: Paige Love #1 - ah-MEER-ah CORE-pah-NING Assistant Coach: Dyandria Anderson #2 - tah-ME-ah Director of Basketball Operations: Jessica Wall #3 - lane-e #5 - ma-lee-ah #12 - rah-kel #24 - kye - rhymes with bye AC - Andre Yur-ko

Front Row (L-R): Kai Carter, Faith Adams, Tamiah Lewis, Nadiria Evans, Amaryah Corpening, Jamia Blake Middle Row (L-R): Maliyah Lockett, Lani Woods, Honey Brown, Abigail Wilson, Amanda Blake Back Row (L-R): Raquel Cassidy, Paige Love, Andre Jurko, Dyandria Anderson, Jessica Wall, Summer Dilwood

2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBING | #FEO QUICK FACTS

ABOUT UNC ASHEVILLE QUICK FACTS Location: Asheville, N.C. Head Coach: Honey Brown (First Season) Alma Mater: Maryville, 1994 Founded: 1927 Career Record: 2-5 Enrollment: 3,600 School Record: 2-5 Nickname: Bulldogs Big South Record: 1-1 Big South Tournament Record: 0-0 School Colors: Royal Blue & White Assistant Coaches: Chancellor: Nancy J. Cable Andre Jurko - Florida, 2016 Athletics Director: Janet R. Cone Paige Love - UNC Asheville - 2016 Senior Woman Administrator: Terri Brne Dyandria Anderson - Florida - 2018 Dir. of Basketball Operations: Jessica Wall Faculty Athletics Representative: Jeff Wilcox Athletic Trainer: Justin Byland Athletic Dept. Phone: 828-251-6459 Basketball Office Phone: 828-251-6935 Ticket Office Phone: 828-251-6904 Arena (capacity): Kimmel Arena (3,200) 2020-21 BREAKDOWN UNC ASHEVILLE EXTERNAL RELATIONS Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/7 Phil Marcello Newcomers: 5 Director of Athletic Communications Office Phone: (828) 250-2392 2019-20 REVIEW Cell Phone: (804) 381-1193 Overall Record: 16-14 Email: [email protected] Big South Record (Finish): 9-11 (6th) Big South Tournament: Won first round, rest ppd Andy Fisher Postseason: N/A Assistant Director of Athletics Communications WBB Contatct PROGRAM INFORMATION Office Phone: (828) 251-6931 First Year of Basketball: 1975 Cell Phone: (320) 583-3658 All-Time Record: 499-765 (.395) Email: [email protected] First Year in Big South: 1986 Division I Big South Record: 195-321 (.377) Office Fax: (828) 251-6386 Big South Regular Season Titles (Years): 1 (2016) Website: www.uncabulldogs.com Big South Tournament Titles (Years): 3 Mailing Address: (2007, 2016, 2017) One University Heights Justice Center, CPO #2600 Asheville, N.C. 28804 CONNECT WITH UNC ASHEVILLE ATHLETICS Official Athletics Twitter...... @UNCAvlBulldogs Official Athletics Instagram...... @uncavlbulldogs Official Athletics .FB...... Facebook.com/UNCAvlBulldogs Women’s Basketball Twitter/Instagram.. @UNCAvlWBB

2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBING | #FEO TV CHART

0 1 2 3 Nadiria Evans Amaryah Corpening Tamiah Lewis Lani Woods 5-8 • SR • G 5-7 • SR • G 5-7 • SR • G 5-10 • FR • G Gainesville, Fla. (Oak Hall School) Morganton, N.C. (Freedom HS) Atlanta, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian) Asheville, N.C. (North Buncombe HS)

5 11 12 1414 Maliyah Lockett Jamia Blake Raquel Cassidy Amanda Blake 5-9 • R-FR • G 5-8 • FR • G 5-11 • SO • F 6-2 • FR • F Blythewood, S.C. (Westwood HS) Rock Hill, S.C. (South Pointe HS) Gainesville, Fla. (College of C. Florida) Phoenix, Ariz. (Ashley Ridge HS)

22 23 24 40 Summer Dilwood Faith Adams Kai Carter Abigail Wilson 5-9 • R-FR • G 5-6 • SO • G 6-0 • SO • G 5-11 • FR • F Atlanta, Ga. (Tucker HS) Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Oakland HS) Atlanta, Ga. (Paideia HS) China Grove, N.C. (West Rowan HS)

Honey Brown Andre Jurko Paige Love Dyandria Anderson Jessica Wall HEAD COACH ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FIRST SEASON FIFTH SEASON FIRST SEASON FIRST SEASON FIRST SEASON

2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBING | #FEO HEAD COACH HONEY BROWN

HONEY BROWN HEAD COACH, FIRST SEASON Maryville (Tenn.), 1994 Honey Brown became the 11th head coach in program history and the seventh since the program moved to Division I in the 1986-87 season on April 7, 2020. She has spent the past eight seasons as an assistant for the Bulldogs under former Head Coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick Brown. After six seasons, she was elevated to associate head coach prior to the start of the 2018-19 campaign. “I am honored to be the next Head Women’s Basketball Coach at UNC Asheville,” Brown said. “I am thankful to Chancellor Cable and Janet Cone for this opportunity. Asheville has been a wonderful place on and off the court for me the past eight years and I look forward to many more years to come. “I am grateful to Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick Brown for all the hard work and love she put into UNC Asheville. Together we built something very special and I am excited to now lead this program.” Prior to her time on the Bulldogs’ bench, Brown spent four seasons as an assistant at Saint Louis working primarily with SLU’s point guards. Before her time with the Billikens, Brown served as director and head trainer at Performance Training, Inc., in Orlando, Fla. While there, she managed all aspects of the company, including staffing, schedules, and marketing. Brown also spent four years as an assistant at Ohio University and a season as an assistant at Central Florida. She got her start in coaching as an assistant with Lenoir City High School in Lenoir City, Tenn. While with LCHS, she helped lead the Panthers to a state tournament appearance in 1998. A 1994 graduate of Maryville College, she was third in the nation in three-point percentage for Division III her junior year, while serving as a team captain her final two seasons. The Scots made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament during her career at Maryville, including two trips to the round of 16. “On behalf of the entire UNC Asheville community, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Coach Mock Kirkpatrick Brown for her expertise, leadership and outstanding record leading our women to victory as a team and as individuals,” said UNC Asheville Chancellor Nancy J. Cable. “I stand ready to support Coach Honey Brown and each and every one of our talented and high-energy players as they pursue success both on and off the court.” On July 7, 2018, Brown was appointed to Associate Head Coach for the 2018-19 campaign. Prior to the upcoming season, Brown was the Assistant Coach for the previous six seasons for the women’s basketball program. Through the first six years that Brown has been on head coach Brenda Kirkpatrick’s staff in Asheville, they have taken the program to new heights and set a new standard. That includes going from winning nine games in 2014-15 to winning 62 games in just three campaigns while capturing back-to-back Big South Conference Tournament crowns, two NCAA Tournament berths, three consecutive postseason berths and one Big South Conference regular-season title. During Brown’s six years in Asheville, nine Bulldogs earned All-Big South Conference honorees, including 2015-16 league Player of the Year Chatori Major. Additionally, six players earned Big South Championship All-Tournament honors with Major and Sonora Dengokl being named Most Valuable Player in 2016 and 2017. In the 2017-18 season, UNC Asheville women’s basketball raced through Big South Conference play, which was highlighted by handing Liberty its first league loss of the year. The Bulldogs’ season was capped off by playing in their third straight postseason tournament. UNC Asheville hosted Furman in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI), which was the first time the program has hosted a postseason tournament. Also during the 2017-18 season, Bronaza Fitzgerald broke the UNC Asheville Division I record for single-season rebounds with 319. Khaila Webb also etched her name into the record book, as she finished her career with 1,109 points (13th-most all-time), and Jessica Wall also broke the program record for the most made three-pointers in a season (90). While the 2016-17 campaign proved special, it also brought about its own unique challenges. The Bulldogs finished the year with a 19-15 record that included an impressive finish and UNC Asheville’s second-straight Big South Conference Championship crown and NCAA Tournament berth. The 19-15 record marked just the seventh time in program history that UNC Asheville women’s basketball finished with a positive record. Tabbed as the league’s preseason favorite to claim the regular-season crown, the Bulldogs started the season well enough, winning four of their first five games. As the calendar turned to conference play, the Bulldogs lost key players to injury, forcing the staff to make changes to personnel and game strategies while asking players to expand their rolls. Despite going 9-9 in Big South play during the regular season, the changes and growth paid off in spades as the Bulldogs closed out the 2016-17 campaign winning eight of their last 10 games. Included in that stretch were two wins to wrap up the

2020-21 BULLDOGS BASKETBALL | @UNCAVLBULLDOGS | @UNCAVLWBB | #KEEPCLIMBING | #FEO HEAD COACH HONEY BROWN regular season and then four wins in four days to claim the and was recognized as the first student-athlete to receive Big South Conference Championship title. It was the first the University’s William and Ida Friday Award for Service time in league history that a team had won four games over to Community. four days to take home the title. The 2015-16 season was a record-breaking year for During the Big South Conference Championships the Bulldogs in many ways. After being picked to finish stretch, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs won their first-round eighth of ten teams in the league’s preseason poll, they game over No. 10 seed Longwood and turned around began the year by matching the best start in school history the next day to knock of second-seeded Campbell in the (9-1) on their way to program-high regular season wins (26) quarterfinal round. During the semifinal round, Asheville and conference wins (16). Brown also helped lead the defeated sixth-seeded Presbyterian and the Bulldogs then Bulldogs to the program’s first ever Big South Conference wrapped up the incredible stretch by toppling top-seeded Regular Season Title, a Big South Conference Tournament Radford in the championship game, earning the league’s Championship and an NCAA first round appearance. automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second- In 2014-15, the Bulldogs finished 9-22 but saw 10 of straight season. In doing so, the Bulldogs became the first those losses come by a single-digit margin, including six seven-seed to ever win the Big South Women’s Basketball coming by just three points or less. Championships. Major and Dengokl were both recognized In 2013-2014 the Bulldogs finished with 11 wins, following the tournament with All-Tournament honors and the most for the program in four seasons. Asheville had Dengokl was awarded the program’s second-straight MVP landmark nonconference victories over Furman and award. Eastern Kentucky. In addition, the Bulldogs downed UNC Asheville closed out the season as the 16-seed Liberty, giving the Blue & White its first home win over the in the Stockton (Ca.) Regional of the NCAA Women’s Lady Flames in 17 years. Asheville earned a 43-42 win Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs played top-seeded over Radford in the first round of the Big South Conference South Carolina in the first round of the tournament and Tournament. The win was the Bulldogs first tournament despite a strong start, ultimately bowed out. win in seven years. Major and fellow senior KJ Weaver were both named to the Big South All-Conference teams with Major picking up her second-straight first-team honor. Major became just the fourth UNC Asheville women’s basketball player to earn multiple Big South first-team plaudits. Major was also named to the conference’s All-Academic Team. During the season several players permanently etched their names in the UNC Asheville record book. Senior guards Tianna Knuckles and Chatori Major became the 105th and 106th women’s basketball players in conference history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. Knuckles ended her playing career with 1,129 career points, the 10th-most all- time in program history and sixth-most in Asheville’s NCAA Division I era. Major ended her career with 1,116 career points, the 12th-most by a Bulldog all-time and eighth-most in the Division I era. As a junior during the 2015-16 season, Knuckles set the school record for most three-pointers in a single season with 73. It was a mark that had stood for over 25 years. During the 2016-17 campaign, Major then broke the record and set a new standard with 78 three-pointers. The 2015-16 season saw the Bulldogs post the biggest turnaround season in NCAA Division I women’s basketball, finishing the year with an overall record of 26-7 following a 9-22 season the year before. Asheville hosted many decorated Bulldogs as a part of the 2015-16 campaign that paved the way to Asheville’s success on and off the court. Chatori Major earned Big South Conference Player of the Year and Conference Tournament MVP honors, along with teammate Tianna Knuckles, who received Big South Second Team All-Conference honors as well as being named an All-Tournament team selection. Paige Love earned Big South All-Academic team honors