CHARLOTTE, N.C. – To open the 2018-19 season, the UNC Asheville women’s basketball team fell at Charlotte, 70-53, on Thursday night inside Halton Arena.

BULLDOG BITES

Game Highlights

Charlotte opened the contest on an 11-0 run in the season-opening contest. Senior Sonora Dengokl netted Asheville’s first points of the season off a layup nearly three minutes into the game. Ali Trani and Juliet Esadah each made a basket in the first quarter, but the 49ers held a 17-6 advantage after 10 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs started to find their offensive rhythm in the second quarter, as five different players netted at least one point in the 10-minute session.

Despite the rhythm for UNC Asheville, Charlotte tallied 23 points in the second quarter to take a 39-21 lead into the halftime break.

UNC Asheville made it a tighter contest in the third quarter, but Charlotte still out-scored the Bulldogs by four points in the quarter. Jessica Wall, Alexis Toney, Nadiria Evans, Denogkl and Trani all contributed points in the stanza to make the contest 59-36 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs out-scored the 49ers in the final 10 minutes by six points, 17-11. However, it was too little too late, as the 49ers fended off the Bulldogs, 70-53, in the season opener.

After sitting out last season, Dengokl didn’t skip a beat on the hardwood, as the senior finished the game with 18 points. She went an impressive 7-for-12 from the field and grabbed three rebounds.

Evans contributed nine points, as the sophomore went 4-for-7 from the hardwood in 21 minutes of play.

Trani added seven points for the Bulldogs, as she came away as the team’s leading rebounder with seven boards.

The Bulldogs held the 38-32 advantage in points in the paint.

UNC Asheville falls to 0-1 on the year, while Charlotte moves to 1-0.

What’s Next?

The Bulldogs will end their two-game road swing on Wednesday, Nov. 14 with a trip to Knoxville, Tenn. to square off with No. 11 Tennessee. The game will tip at 7 p.m. inside Thompson-Bowling Arena and will be streamed on the SEC Network Plus.