SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind Sonora Dengokl’s career-high 36 points and 18 made field goals, the UNC Asheville women’s basketball team used a second-half surge to claim a 93-86 overtime victory over USC Upstate on Tuesday inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
The 18 made field goals from Dengokl broke a UNC Asheville Division I school record. Vicki Giffin made 15 field goals versus UMBC during the 1996-97 campaign. Dengokl’s 18 made field goals matched a UNC Asheville program record that has been standing alone since the 1983-84 season.
The 18-field goal game also set a new Big South single-game conference record and tied the record for overall games in the league.
Dengokl’s 36 points scored fell three points shy of matching the UNC Asheville Division I record of 39 points that Giffin tallied in the same game versus the Retrievers.
BULLDOG BITES
Game Highlights
USC Upstate opened the game on a 5-0 run, as Brianna Lewis and Riley Popplewell led the offense. The Bulldogs quickly erased the deficit and gained their first lead of the game (10-7) thanks to a 10-2 run. The two teams continued to battle for the remainder of the quarter, but USC Upstate ended the last 38 seconds on a 5-0 run to take a 21-16 lead.
The Bulldogs dwindled the deficit to only one point, 23-22, as Juliet Esadah connected with a layup with just over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Spartans posted a 9-0 run for the next four-plus minutes to earn their first double-digit lead of the game, 32-22. Asheville made it a 35-27 game with 1:18 left in the first half, but USC Upstate expanded its lead to 13 at halftime, 40-27.
Dengokl led the Asheville offense with six points, as she was the only Bulldog with more than one made field goal in 20 minutes of play. Eight of the 11 Bulldogs that touched the hardwood in the first 20 minutes scored at least two points. As a team, UNC Asheville outrebounded the Spartans by five, including a 9-5 advantage in offensive boards.
UNC Asheville came out firing in the third quarter, as it outscored the Spartans by six in the stanza – 30-24. Sixteen of the Bulldog points came from the hands of Dengokl, as she went a flawless 8-for-8 in the 10-minute period. More impressively, UNC Asheville shot 93.9 percent (14-for-15) from the field in the stanza. Also three other Bulldogs didn’t miss a shot in the quarter – Evonna McGill, Zip Scott and Jessica Wall. The nearly perfect quarter for UNC Asheville pulled the Bulldogs within seven points, 64-57.
Behind Dengokl’s 10 fourth-quarter points, the Bulldogs tied the game at the end of regulation, 74-all. The senior guard went 5-for-6 from the field, as three other Bulldogs helped lead the comeback. The Bulldog defense limited USC Upstate to only 10 field goal attempts in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Heading into overtime tied at 74, UNC Asheville started to pull ahead, as it went on a 7-0 run at the 3:32 mark in overtime. USC Upstate couldn’t pull the game to a two-possession contest, as the Bulldogs sealed the seven-point win over Upstate – 93-86.
Dengokl was phenomenal in the midweek game, as she set three career highs in the Big South battle – points (36), field goals made (18) and assists (5). The Sumter, S.C. native shot a stellar 18-for-22 from the field in 36 minutes of play. Her 36 points scored bested her previous-best mark by nine, and the 18 made field goals was five more than her previous-best mark. The double-digit performance marked the 10th time she accomplished that feat. It was also the third time this year she has scored 23 or more points. In the last two games, Dengokl has scored for 59 points.
Freshman McGill was also strong, as she ended the contest with a single-game best 15 points. That broke her previous career high by six. She also made six field goals, which was four more than she has made in a game this year.
Brooke Jordan-Brown was the third Bulldog in double figures. The junior center totaled 10 points and shot 57.1 percent from the field, 4-for-7. She also corralled a team-best eight boards and tallied a steal.
Overall, the Bulldogs made 37 field goals out of 67 attempts, 55.2 percent. On the 37 made field goals, 22 were assisted by Bulldogs. Scott had seven of those assists, which bested her single-game best by two. Ali Trani had six assists (career high), and Dengokl had five.
The Bulldogs dominated the paint, as they totaled 50 of their 93 points in the paint. They also earned 34 points off the bench, while holding USC Upstate to only 16 bench points.
With its 93 points scored, the Bulldogs extended their perfect streak (6-0) when scoring 60 or more points in a game this season. It was also the second time this year that UNC Asheville has shot 50 percent or better in a game, and the Bulldogs are undefeated in such games.
The Bulldogs and Spartans combined for 31 points in the 5-minute overtime period. That stanza alone had more combined points than two 10-minute quarters.
With its first overtime win of the season, UNC Asheville advances to 7-9 overall and 2-3 in Big South action. USC Upstate falls to 5-10 overall land 1-3 in league games.
What’s Next?
UNC Asheville will return home on Saturday, Jan. 19, as it will take on High Point at 2 p.m. The head-to-head contest will be the first game of a doubleheader for the Bulldogs, as the men’s basketball team will tip off at 4:30 p.m. versus Radford.
