UNC Asheville 83, East Carolina 79: Andrew Rowsey scored 28 points as the visiting Bulldogs earned their first win of the season by topping the Pirates.
Rowsey made 15-of-16 free throws and added three rebounds and three assists for Asheville (1-1), which hit 28-of-34 from the line. Kem Ubaru added 17 points and nine boards for the Bulldogs, who outrebounded the Pirates 43-27.
Caleb White led the way for East Carolina (1-1) with 24 points, while Lance Tejada added 14. B.J. Tyson contributed 12 points and Terry Whisnant scored 11 as the Pirates had five players reach double figures.
Things started slowly for the Bulldogs, who needed just over four minutes to score their first points, but the Pirates were just as cold, and the game was tied at 13 with a little more than nine minutes left in the half. But Asheville started putting it together, going on a 15-3 run over the next 3:30, with Rowsey scoring seven and Ubaru six, and the lead was 10 at halftime.
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 14 early in the second half on 3-pointers by Sam Hughes, Corey Littlejohn and Rowsey in the first 3:15, but the Pirates cut that lead in half on Whisnant's jumper with 14:10 to play. East Carolina tried to make a final push, cutting the deficit to four twice on White 3-pointers in the final 29 seconds, but Asheville hit 5-of-6 free throws to hold off the threat.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Rowsey was hit with a technical foul early in the second half, the fourth called against an East Carolina opponent this season. … East Carolina committed 11 turnovers in the first half but only two in the second. … Asheville grabbed 11 of its 13 offensive rebounds before halftime.
N.C. Asheville | East Carolina | |
Andrew Rowsey 28 | Scoring | Caleb White 24 |
David Robertson 4 | Assists | Lance Tejada 5 |
Kem Ubaru 9 | Rebounds | Marshall Guilmette 6 |
Andrew Rowsey 15 | Free Throws Made | Caleb White 6 |
Corey Littlejohn 2 | Steals | Antonio Robinson 3 |
Giacomo Zilli 1 | Blocks | Michel-Ofik Nzege 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
N.C. Asheville | 83 | 43.6 | 7-20 | 28-34 | 12 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
East Carolina | 79 | 47.3 | 7-23 | 20-30 | 10 | 25 | 3 | 7 | 13 |