BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb men's basketball team returns to the court on Thursday, January 29 while traveling to face Big South Conference foe UNC Asheville.
GAME INFORMATION
Location: Kimmel Arena | Asheville, N.C.
Tip Time: 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/4t3Yf6L
Video: www.watchespn.com
Gardner-Webb is coming off its first conference win of the season after taking down USC Upstate 67-65 on Friday, January 23. Sophomore guard Colin Hawkins connected on a floater with three seconds remaining on the clock to seal the win in front of the home crowd. The contest consisted for 10 ties and 10 lead changes.
Sophomore forward Jacob Hogarth leads the Runnin' Bulldogs with 11.0 points per game while shooting better than 57% from the floor. Hogarth also pulls in a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game after tallying his fifth double-double of the season in his last outing. Freshman Spence Sims is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 per game while being named Big South Freshman of the Week on five occasions this season.
As a team, Gardner-Webb shoots 42% from the field and 31% from deep. The Dawgs average 68.5 points per game while allowing 87.8 each contest. GWU trails on the rebounding side of the ball by an average of 39.5-31.5.
UNC Asheville comes into the contest with a 9-12 overall record and 3-4 mark in league play. The Bulldogs took care of Upstate by the final of 83-69 during their last contest but were losers of two in a row prior to that. Asheville also has conference wins over Radford and Longwood.
Kameron Taylor leads the Bulldogs with 18.3 points per game while ranking second in the conference in scoring. Taylor also hauls in a team second-best 5.8 boards per game. Justin Wright (17.4) and Toyaz Solomon (16.4) rank sixth and ninth in the conference in scoring, respectively, while Solomon collects a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game.
UNC Asheville averages 74.6 points per game while giving up 73.0 on the defensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs shoot at a .461 clip from the floor, including .363 from behind the arc. Asheville outrebounds its opponents 35.3-33.0.
Thursday's contest marks the 35th all-time meeting between Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville with the Bulldogs owning a 21-13 advantage in the series history. UNCA has taken the previous three matchups, including both contests from a season ago. Gardner-Webb's last win in the series came on February 24, 2024, a 78-77 win at Kimmel Arena.
