Charlotte, NC – The UNC Asheville Bulldogs handed the Charlotte 49ers their first home loss of the season by a score of 83-75. UNC Asheville won by their defensive energy by starting the game with tight man to man defense and defending the 49ers in a full court press. Asheville guard Trent Stephney took the challenge and played aggressive man to man defense on 49ers guard Jordan Shepherd. Stephney attacked the basket in the open court and shared the ball by driving and kicking it out to the open man.
The Bulldogs brought energy into tonight’s game, focused on defense and made the 49ers offense feel uncomfortable. Charlotte was very careless with the ball and that led to easy Asheville points in the open court. UNC Asheville guard Tajion Jones was the leading scorer of the game with 21 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the floor. Jones brought out his entire offensive game by hitting 3-pointers, driving and finishing at the basket, and picking his spots on the floor.
In the second half UNC Asheville led by 12 points and took some gas out of the 49ers offense. After a timeout by 49ers coach Ron Sanchez, Charlotte, led by guards Shepherd and Cooper Robb made a big run by attacking the rim and came back to lead by four points with 12:17 remaining. Asheville forward Coty Jude then hit two back to back clutch three pointers to tie the game. The Bulldogs kept attacking the 49ers defense and Charlotte didn’t have an answer. After a hard fought battle the Asheville closed out their eight=point road win.
Shepherd led Charlotte with 20 points and right behind him was Robb with 14 points.
This article was written by Basil Dougan, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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