For the first 25 minutes of the game, UNC Asheville men’s basketball gave Vanderbilt all it could handle, but Vanderbilt pulled away down the stretch for an 80-59 win over the Bulldogs at Memorial Gymnasium on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.
The contest would open with UNC Asheville (2-12) taking a 7-6 lead over the first four minutes. Donovan Gilmore gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 advantage with exactly 16 minutes remaining in the first half after completing a three-point play.
The Bulldogs would lead 11-8 with 14:41 to play in the first half after a Gilmore mid-range jumper and a LJ Thorpe driving layup. The Bulldogs would lead by five at 19-14 after an LJ Thorpe three-pointer with 12:16 to go in the opening half.
Vanderbilt (9-3) would go on to lead by as many as seven over the next few minutes, but back-to-back three-pointers by LJ Thorpe and then a jumper by DeVon Baker pulled the Bulldogs back to within three at 30-27 with 7:05 left in the first half. A Baker three-pointer tied things up at 30-all with 6:41 left in the opening half.
The two teams would go into the halftime break with Vanderbilt leading, 40-34.
UNC Asheville finished the first half shooting 42.9 percent (12-of-28) as a team, while Vanderbilt shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27).
Asheville led for almost five minutes in the first half.
The Bulldogs would once again come out strong to start the second half with Asheville down just two at 44-42 after a Coty Jude layup with 17:33 remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs would be down just one at 46-45 after a Jalen Seegars three-pointer with 16:49 left in the game.
Vanderbilt from there would go on a 6-0 run to lead by seven at 52-45.
The score would remain around the same for the next few minutes with UNC Asheville down by just six at 59-53 after a Cress Worthy three-point play with 11:32 remaining in the second stanza.
That would prove to be as close as the Bulldogs would be able to get the rest of the way with Vanderbilt pulling away for the victory.
UNC Asheville finished the game shooting 39.6 percent (21-of-53) as a team. The Commodores closed out their win shooting 56.3 percent (27-of-48).
Two Bulldogs finished in double figures with Thorpe posting a career-best 17 along with three rebounds and three assists.
Baker ended his efforts with 13 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Four Commodores concluded their afternoon in double figures with Matt Ryan leading the way with a game-high 19 points.
BULLDOG BITES
Strong at the Charity Stripe
UNC Asheville finished its game at Vanderbilt going 10-of-11 (90.9 percent). That is the best percentage on the season for five or more attempts in a game for the Bulldogs. UNC Asheville was a perfect 3-of-3 at the free throw line against Furman.
Double Figures
In just his second game back in a Bulldog uniform this season, LJ Thorpe finished in double figures for the first time in his career with 17 points at Vanderbilt. Thorpe ended up redshirting last season and was injured prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. In his first action of the year against Fayetteville State earlier this week, Thorpe finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
Learning on the Fly
UNC Asheville men’s basketball gave Vanderbilt fits with 151 of its 200 total minutes (76 percent) in the game being played by freshmen. During UNC Asheville’s non-conference portion of its schedule, 72 percent (2,018 of 2,800) of UNC Asheville’s total minutes as a team have been played by freshmen. The top four in minutes for the Bulldogs are all freshmen (DeVon Baker, Tajion Jones, Coty Jude and Cress Worthy).
Up Next
The Big South Conference slate for UNC Asheville opens strongly with the Bulldogs playing host to rival Winthrop at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. The last time the two programs faced off the Bulldogs secured the 2017-18 Big South Conference regular season title with an 89-75 victory over the Eagles at Kimmel Arena on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018.
Box Score: https://uncabulldogs.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=5070
Quotes: https://youtu.be/B69scz6Dcu0
