UNC-Ashville WIns Big South Conference Tournament

UNC-Ashville WIns Big South Conference Tournament

March 14, 2011

UNC-Ashville WIns Big South Conference Tournament, Trip to Big Dance

CONWAY, S.C. Chris Stephenson scored 14 points, John Williams had 10 points and nine rebounds and UNC Asheville beat Coastal Carolina 60-47 on Saturday in the Big South Conference title game.

The third-seeded Bulldogs (19-13) knocked off the top seed on the Chanticleers’ home court to reach the NCAA tournament for the second time.

UNC Asheville’s first bid came in 2003.

It’s the second year in a row that Coastal Carolina (28-5) was the tournament’s top seed and lost the title game. The Chanticleers will get an automatic bid to the NIT.

The Bulldogs never trailed, but couldn’t put Coastal Carolina away until Matt Dickey’s 3-pointer with 1 minute, 39 seconds left made it 54-47.

It seemed as if every time the Chanticleers had a chance to tie or take the lead, they turned the ball over. Coastal Carolina had 21 turnovers to UNC Asheville’s 10.

And as the whole bench celebrated Jaron Lane’s dunk with 9.2 seconds left, Bulldogs coach Eddie Biedenbach cracked just a small smile as he made it to just his second NCAA tournament in 18 years of coaching.

Chad Gray led the Chanticleers with 13 points, while Sam McLaurin added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

For the second season, the pressure appeared to be too much for the Chanticleers, who hosted the title game because they went 16-2 in the Big South.

UNC Asheville jumped out to a 19-6 lead, thanks to seven turnovers by Coastal Carolina.

The Chanticleers slowly started to climb back. Anthony Raffa’s 3-pointer with 11:27 left in the game cut UNC Asheville’s lead to 39-37.

But on the next possession, Danny Nieman turned over the ball and Stephenson hit a shot to put the Bulldogs back up 41-37. The same scenario would play out four more times before Dickey’s backbreaking 3-pointer in the final two minutes.

 

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