KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite outscoring No. 12 Tennessee by one point in the second half, the UNC Asheville women’s basketball team fell, 73-46, to the nationally-ranked Lady Vols on Wednesday night inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
The Lady Vols started hot in the first half, as they scored 44 points in the first 20 minutes of play. They made 15 baskets in the first half and went an impressive 10-for-12 from the charity stripe.
UNC Asheville had four Bulldogs score in the first half. Senior guard Sonora Dengokl tallied a team-high nine points, while guards Zip Scott and Ali Trani each contributed three points.
The second half was a different story for the Bulldogs.
After the intermission, UNC Asheville started to cut into the deficit against the nationally-ranked Lady Vols, as the Bulldogs outscored UT by 10 points (18-8) in the third stanza. The eight points scored in the third quarter was a season low for Tennessee in a 10-minute period, and the 18 Bulldog points scored was a season high.
Five different Bulldogs recorded points in the third stanza. Preseason Big South First Team selection Jessica Wall nailed a pair of three pointers and earned an assist to lead the Asheville surge. Sophomore Nadiria Evans contributed four points, as she went 2-for-3 from the field in the third quarter.
Tennessee capped off the game by scoring 21 points in the final 10 minutes, while the Bulldogs totaled 12 in the final quarter. Trani made two clutch three pointers in the quarter.
Overall, Dengokl totaled 14 points, as she went 6-for-13 from the field. The 14 points led both squads in the non-conference bout. She also earned two assists and made two free throws.
Trani had the second-most points on the squad, as the senior connected with a season-high 12 points. She went an impressive 4-for-9 beyond the three-point arc.
Scott and Wall each added seven points and combined for four assists.
Freshman Evonna McGill only played six minutes on the hardwood, but she utilized every minute of action. The 6-2 center totaled two blocks and grabbed a trio of rebounds.
In the second half Asheville outscored the Lady Vols by one point (30-29). The Bulldogs actually held the two-point advantage in the paint and held Tennessee to only six second-chance points in the final 20 minutes of action.
UNC Asheville allowed 21 second-chance points in the first half, but the Bulldogs started to take charges and force six turnovers to change the momentum.
With the loss, UNC Asheville falls to 0-2 on the year, while No. 12 Tennessee moves to 2-0.
What’s Next?
The Bulldogs will open their 2018-19 home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 17, as they square off with rival Western Carolina. The head-to-head contest is set to begin at 1 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena.
