Blue Hose Women Fall 68-52 to Future Big South Foe UNC Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Amanda Elder recorded her third double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead UNC Asheville past Presbyterian College 68-52 in women’s basketball action at the Justice Center on Saturday afternoon.
Elder went 9-for-9 from the free throw line and 5-for-14 from the floor. Her 12 boards were a season-high and tied her career-high that she set at Birmingham-Southern last season.
Ashton Barton had 10 points for the Bulldogs who improve to 3-4 on the season. Ana Baker scored a season-high eight points as Asheville got points from all 11 players who played in the game.
Morgan Johnson led the Blue Hose (3-4) as the sophomore scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out with 3:30 left to play. Sophomore Kerianne Blease (Saluda, S.C.) scored 15 points for Presbyterian.
Johnson was flawless on the floor, shooting 8-for-8 and connecting on her one attempt at the charity stripe. The Marietta, Ga. native has netted double figure scoring in all but one game thus far in the young campaign.
Asheville out rebounded PC 42-30 in the game and went to the free throw line 23 times to just five times for Presbyterian. The Bulldogs made 16 of their first 17 from the line and finished the game 18-for-23.
Blease opened the game with a three-pointer but the Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to move ahead 7-3. Johnson converted a three-point play and Blease hit another three to tie the game at 9-9 at the 14:20 mark of the first half. The half remained tight as the Blue Hose held their largest lead at 17-12 with 11:39 before halftime.
Asheville tied the game and then took the lead for good on a pair of Elder free throws with 3:14 left in the half. The Bulldogs 7-0 run gave Asheville a 29-23 lead with 1:59 left. Bridget Takach hit a three pointer just before halftime to cut the Bulldogs advantage to 31-28 at halftime.
PC tied the game at 33-33 on a Blease jumper. Asheville then went on a 14-4 run to push its lead to 47-37 with 13:21 left to play. The Blue Hose could not make another run as the Bulldogs held PC to 36 percent shooting in the game.
Asheville shot 48 percent in the second half to finish the game at 44 percent. The Bulldogs held Presbyterian to just four points in the final 5:29 as they closed out the game on an 8-4 run.
“I thought Amanda Elder was the difference in the game today,” said Asheville head coach Betsy Blose. “She stepped up and put the team on her back and that is what you expect from a senior captain. I thought Kyla Jones and Rachel Williams also played well getting more minutes. We made some defensive adjustments in the second half and we played with more of a sense of urgency especially in that second half run.”
Williams, who had averaged one minute per game over the first six games, scored four points and grabbed two rebounds in 10 minutes. Jones had five points, four rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes as the Bulldogs played without Brittany Hendley who was averaging 31 minutes per game.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Monday as they wrap up a four-game home stand against Mars Hill. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Presbyterian will get 11 days of well-deserved rest before hosting the Cobras of Coker College on December 13 at 6 p.m. in the Templeton Center.