UNC Asheville advances to Big South Semifinals
Recapping UNC Asheville's overtime win over Longwood, 85-82.
Despite having only one functional shot clock, we were off and running with Kam Taylor getting fouled and headed to the line, where he made 1 of 2. Longwood’s ensuing possession was capped off by Emanuel Richard’s 3. Asheville was able to pull out a small lead at the Under 16.
After the Under 16 timeout, both Longwood and UNCA Asheville quickly answered with 3-pointers from Fats Billups and Kam Taylor, respectively. A flurry of missed shots and offensive rebounds by Longwood followed until UNC Asheville benefited from a held ball, regaining possession. This led to a Julian Clarke 3 on the other end. Longwood responded immediately with another Fats Billups 3. Redd Thompson drove and missed, but Bernard’s follow briefly put Longwood ahead, only for Solomon to reply with an AND-1, restoring Asheville’s 2-point lead.
Following the Under 12 timeout, Longwood’s inbounds pass was stolen by Kam Taylor, with follow-up attempts by Solomon and Mayfield, though the play was ultimately wiped out for offensive goaltending. On their next possession, Longwood capitalized with an Elijah Tucker slam. Shortly after, Solomon broke into double figures with a layup, then quickly added a 3-pointer on the following trip. Justin Wright extended Asheville’s lead with a jump stop and swish, putting them up 6. Momentum continued for Asheville as Justin Wright hit another 3-pointer.
As play resumed after the Under 8 timeout, Longwood missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Emanuel Richards grabbed the rebound and scored, finally ending Longwood’s field goal drought of more than four minutes. After a charge call on Kam Taylor, Jaylen Benard helped Longwood trim the deficit to 5. A travel by Toyaz Solomon followed, leading to Tucker heading to the free-throw line on the other end. Tucker made both, cutting Asheville’s lead to 3. Kam Taylor was able to briefly extend Asheville’s lead again, but Longwood answered once more before the media timeout.
Following the Under 4 timeout, Asheville got another 3-pointer from Kam Taylor, this time following two free throws from Jacoi Hutchinson. On Asheville’s next trip, Taylor hit another 3, pushing the lead to 6 and giving Taylor 16 points. After a steal by Elijah Jones, Longwood went to the line but only made one of two. UNC Asheville quickly took advantage, with Toyaz Solomon hitting a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 8. Longwood battled back to cut the lead to 4, but tension rose as Kam Taylor went down and left the game for the locker room. The 4-point lead would hold into halftime.
Despite the earlier injury scare, Kam Taylor returned for the 2nd half. However, it was Julian Clarke who opened the scoring for Asheville with a lane drive. Shortly after, Hutchinson went down hard for Longwood, pausing his free throws due to a finger issue. Taylor, unfazed, made two sharp cuts in the lane for consecutive baskets. After Asheville forced two turnovers, Jacoi Hutchinson scored a wide-open layup to tie the game for Longwood.
After the Under 16 timeout in the second half, Kam Taylor added his 21st and 22nd points at the free throw line, but Jaylen Benard tied the game again for Longwood. On the following possession, Toyaz Solomon converted an AND-1, while Elijah Tucker answered with a trip to the line, making just 1 of 2. The teams traded possessions, with Benard missing both free throws before Asheville tipped the rebound out of bounds. Longwood, however, missed its ensuing shot, which sailed over the backboard.
After the Under 12 timeout, Jacoi Hutchinson followed his own miss and scored two to bring Asheville’s lead down to 2. Solomon then split two free throws after a hard foul. On Longwood’s next possession, Hutchinson scored again in the lane. The stretch ended dramatically as Tucker took a massive fall and went down injured.
After Tucker’s injury and a lengthy review that resulted in nothing, Longwood comes down after a UNC Asheville miss and gets two more at the free-throw line. After Justin Wright split two free throws, Jacoi Hutchinson made a layup, forcing Mike Morrell to call a TO, and shortly after, we got a media TO.
After Julian Clarke went one of two at the line, Redd Thompson drove in the lane and got two points, followed by an Asheville miss and then a foul on the other end, sending Richards to the line. Richards converts both, giving Longwood a 7-point lead. Kameron Taylor once again went down with an apparent ankle injury; Thomas took the free throws in place of Taylor, converting 1 of 2.
After a series of what I can only describe as miracles, Elijah Tucker returned to the bench, and Kam Taylor checked back in for Asheville.
Longwood then with two makes after an Asheville 3 cut Longwood’s lead to 1 point. After the Under 4 media, UNC Asheville split one of two at the free-throw line, cutting the Longwood lead to 5.
UNC Asheville challenged an out-of-bounds call and won, but failed to capitalize on the original shot. Kam Taylor got the rebound and got sent to the free-throw line, where he sank one of two, cutting the Lancer lead to 4 points. After a circus shot missed for Longwood, Justin Wright quickly went down the court to cut the lead to two, then another turnover by the Lancers gave Asheville a chance to tie or take the lead, but ended up with a heldball favoring Longwood.
After multiple misses by Longwood and about 3-4 missed fouls, the whistle finally goes off, sending Nziemi to the line, where he split his free throws, only giving Longwood a 3-point lead.
After an Asheville timeout, Kam Taylor hit a big 3-pointer to tie the game. On the next play, Longwood had a great chance, but Thomas blocked the shot, leading to a shot-clock violation for the Lancers. Asheville had a chance to win but missed.
Longwood, with another chance, hits the rim and GOES OFF.
Longwood taps the ball out of bounds on the jump ball, and with Asheville’s first possession, they do NOT convert; Longwood converts on theirs. On the following possession, Asheville gets to the line on a block by Richards, which he was slow to get up from. Wright made both of his at the line.
Longwood would then get sent to the line, where Billups split the pair, giving Longwood a slim, one-point lead. After another review, the refs called a dead-ball tech on Hutchinson, which gave Asheville 2 points AND the ball.
Asheville was able to take advantage of the tech with a Wright jumper that gave Asheville a 3-point lead. Nzimei splits one of two, cutting the lead to 2 before Wright went to the line again, extending it to 4.
After a series of missed shots, free throws, made shots, and fouls, Asheville was able to pull out an 85-82 win.
Post Game Recap:
Mike Morrell on the toughness of his team, “That’s kinda been the story of our year, we’ve had defections due to health and other things but no one feels sorry for us. We’ve won a ton of games in this league the last years. No one felt sorry for us because we didn’t play DJ Patrick tonight, you got to throw the ball up in the air.”
Mike Morrell on winning near his hometown of Elizabethton, “I got a love hate relationship with this place, like a big one. My junior year I lost here in the district tournament in an upset. Here’s a good story for you, I actually had a girlfriend that we bought concert tickets one time and she broke up with me the next week, I think she took those concert tickets… it can be on the moon, I don’t care I want to win.”
A very emotional Elijah Tucker on Ronnie’s impact on him, “It’s meant a lot to me, Longwood changed me in a lot of ways, especially Ronnie… I remember two years ago I got hurt in the Big South tournament, him and our athetlic trainer stayed with me that whole night, in that hospital. He never left my side until he had to go that next day for the conference championship, he is the reason I came back and he’s the reason I wanted to bring a championship to Longwood.”