Winthrop flips script on Asheville, will meet High Point for Big South title

By Jordan Ferrell (@FerrellonFM983)

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — UNC Asheville is a team that is capable of being a terror to its opposition when clicking in all facets. There is no better example of that than the absolute defensive clinic the Bulldogs put on Friday night in the Big South Conference tournament quarterfinals in an 80-60 drubbing of Charleston Southern.

On the other hand, given how the regular season ended for the Bulldogs, it is evident that when they are off, things can be extra frustrating. That is exemplified in how they dropped three of their last four regular season contests, two by double digits.

After Saturday’s Big South semifinal, you can add another tally to the number of disappointments for the Bulldogs on a short turnaround from success, as second-seed Asheville was unable to win its second game in as many days, falling to Winthrop in an 86-67 final. 

Greg Gantt got things started for Asheville by putting up a jumper after securing the opening tip and driving. From that point, offense was hard to come by, with both teams going scoreless for over two minutes. Not long after the first media timeout, Gantt struck again to snap the streak with a layup that gave Asheville a 6-3 lead. Josh Banks took over the scoring from there for the Bulldogs, hitting back-to-back threes to help keep them in front despite Winthrop also hitting back-to-back triples from Bryce Baker. 

Things quickly unraveled for Mike Morrell’s squad from that point on. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run, jumping ahead 23-17 two minutes later. That run was eventually snapped by a layup from Toyaz Solomon, but it failed to spark any kind of run for the Bulldogs. Instead, Winthrop answered with yet another spurt, this one being a 15-2 push that would finally be broken by a couple of Josh Banks free throws. 

The waiting for a Bulldog run while the game simultaneously slipped further and further away continued in the second half. Winthrop was shooting 52 percent from the floor while Asheville was 19-for-45. The Eagles had ballooned their lead as large as 22 and essentially cruised to victory behind double digit performances from Nick Johnson (15), Kasen Harrison and Kelton Talford (14 each), Paul Jones III (13), and Baker (10). 

“That was a very good, very well-coached team we played today”, said Winthrop head coach Mark Prosser. “Asheville has a potent offense. I think they were 16th in the country in scoring offense coming into today. They have multiple guys that can score even when you guard well. We are very fortunate to be able to play again and move on in the tournament.”

“We were anxious to get back to work today. Even at midnight last night, they were locked in on the scouting report. Their effort and connectedness on such a quick turnaround after a long game last night was terrific. You have to have that and be prepared against a team like Asheville because they have potential all-league players all over the place. We certainly were prepared. These guys are taking us to some really cool places.” 

Asheville, who was led by Solomon with 15 points and eight rebounds, shot just 38.5 percent on the day and 6-for-24 from beyond the arc. Winthrop was not too much better in the paint, going 28-for-62, but shot 13-for-26 from deep, which combined with 30 points off turnovers and 20 second-chance points made the difference in the end.

“It was just a tough day,” a very emotional Morrell said. “I give a lot of credit to Winthrop. They were just the better team today. For the first eight minutes, we were really good and got off to the start we needed to. But we just made some uncharacteristic plays. We were emotional today and did not respond well enough. Winthrop had a lot to do with that. I heard Griff Aldrich say this and it is true for us: I never thought there would be a day where I would sit up here with 20-plus wins and be this disappointed. That is me right now.” 

As Morrell stated, the loss ends a season where Asheville ended up 21-11 overall. That is in spite of so many things the Bulldogs had to overcome. Aside from the complications and inconveniences of being displaced by Hurricane Helene, Morrell said that this season could be summarized by responding to things that beyond their control. 

“A lot has been made about what our whole area went through at the end of September,” he said. “But it wasn’t just that. We lost two guys for the year, including Justin Wright, who we thought at the time was our best player. It was a lot of things you can’t control and this group just kept responding. In December, we started to hit our stride. Our first home game was not until December 7. That alone would have broken a lot of teams. This group was resilient. As much as this stinks, we will get over it. And those guys have me for life.” 

With the semifinals in the books, all attention turns to Sunday’s showdown for a spot in the NCAA Tournament between Winthrop and top seed High Point Panthers, a matchup in which the game may very well be decided by how Winthrop competes in the first 4-minute segment. 

“The games leading into these games don’t matter,” Prosser deadpanned. “I don’t think when that ball goes in the air that anyone is going to say, ‘hey, remember the last game?’ It doesn’t matter.” “We will have to be better than we have been against them. We haven’t played High Point in a while, but we have to be better versions of ourselves than we were the first two times we saw them. There were teachable moments and things we need to do better, especially when you look at the results of the first two games. I know that’s easier said than done, but these guys are connected and locked in. Our goal will be to win the first four minutes tomorrow and then we’ll go from there.”