No. 3 UNC Asheville Holds Off No. 6 Campbell, 47-42
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Third-seeded UNC Asheville advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 Big South Women's Basketball Championship with a 47-42 victory over sixth-seeded Campbell in the quarterfinal round of the tournament at the Vines Center on Friday, March 9. UNC Asheville's win allows the Bulldogs to pick up their eighth straight Big South Tournament win.
With the win, the third-seeded Bulldogs will face off against second-seeded Radford in the semifinals at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 10. The matchup will be a rematch of last year's championship game in the tournament.
BOX SCORE
POSTGAME REACTION
The Camels would commence the game on an 8-0 run, but Asheville would arrive on the scoreboard after a Jessica Wall three-pointer with 4:59 left in the opening quarter. Campbell would go ahead by as many as 10 at 13-3, but a 4-0 run by the Bulldogs pulled UNC Asheville back to within six at 13-7 with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
The first quarter would conclude with Asheville trailing Campbell, 16-9.
UNC Asheville would collect the first points of the second quarter when Khaila Webb's great anticipation turned into a steal and a fast break layup to pull the Bulldogs within five of the Camels at 16-11.
The Bulldogs would trail 23-13 with 5:37 to play in the first half, but a 9-0 run over the next few minutes pulled Asheville back within one at 23-22 after a Khaila Webb jumper with 1:24 left in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs held Campbell scoreless for over four minutes during the stretch.
The Camels would connect on a couple of free throws in the final minute of the first half to take a 25-22 lead into intermission.
UNC Asheville held Campbell without a field goal for the final 5:37 of the second quarter.
Both teams shot exactly 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the field as a team in the first half.
The second half would start with UNC Asheville forcing a turnover on Campbell's opening possession of the half. The Bulldogs would take advantage with Bronaza Fitzgerald connecting on a layup to pull Asheville within one at 25-24.
UNC Asheville would pick up its first lead of the game with 6:57 left in the third quarter when Webb connected on a three-point play that earned the Bulldogs a 30-28 advantage.
The Bulldogs would go on to score 12 of the first 16 points in the second half to own a 34-29 lead with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter. Asheville during the stretch connected on four consecutive field goals and held Campbell scoreless for over three minutes.
UNC Asheville opened the second half shooting 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the field as a team.
The Bulldogs would go on to take a 36-34 lead into the fourth quarter. Asheville outscored the Camels, 14-9, in the third quarter.
Campbell would take a 41-38 lead over the Bulldogs with 6:19 to play in the game, but a 5-0 run capped by a Zip Scott three-pointer garnered Asheville a 43-41 lead with 4:52 remaining in the contest.
The Bulldogs would lead 47-42 with 23 seconds to play in the game after a clutch driving layup by Webb.
That would prove to be the final score in the UNC Asheville win. The Bulldogs held Campbell scoreless for the final 3:51 of the contest.
UNC Asheville held Campbell to single-digit scoring in each of the final three quarters of the game. The Bulldogs shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) as a team in their win, while Campbell shot 28 percent (14-of-50).
UNC Asheville's win over Campbell improves the Bulldogs to 16-14 overall, while Campbell closes its season at 15-15.