ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — UNC Asheville’s basketball teams return to action this week with a pair of home games, as the men host UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night at Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville and the women welcome South Carolina State for the program’s annual Education Day game on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs men (3-4) face UNCG at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with the first 500 fans receiving free admission. The matchup will stream on ESPN+.
UNC Asheville is coming off a 67-55 win over Appalachian State on Sunday, led by a career-high 25 points from Toyaz Solomon. The performance capped a strong week that earned Solomon Big South Player of the Week honors after averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds across two games.
Freshman Kameron Taylor recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against App State, while Justin Wright added 13 points and went 7-for-7 at the free-throw line. Asheville finished with a season-best 22 made free throws and outrebounded the Mountaineers 36-25.
The Bulldogs enter the week ranked third among Big South teams in the first NET rankings at No. 210. Asheville leads the conference in 3-point percentage defense (27.9 percent) and ranks No. 60 nationally in field goal percentage (48.9 percent). Wright is No. 57 nationally in field goal percentage, and Solomon ranks in the top 100 in defensive rebounds per game.
UNC Greensboro (1-7) heads to Asheville after picking up its first win of the season, a 68-62 victory over Youngstown State during a three-game Florida swing.
On Wednesday, the UNCA women (2-5) host South Carolina State (2-6) at 11:30 a.m. at Kimmel Arena as part of the annual Education Day event. The game will air on ESPN+.
Asheville enters the matchup after a 74-67 loss at Furman but leads the Big South and ranks among the top 20 nationally in free-throw attempts (26.0 per game) and free throws made (17.1). The Bulldogs also sit second in the conference in scoring defense (60.9) and third in rebounding (38.4).
Aileen Marquez leads the team at 10.7 points per game, followed by Nia Green at 10.0. Green also leads the Big South in blocks (1.4 per game) and is tied for eighth in the league in rebounding.
South Carolina State faces Asheville on a six-game skid but tops the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in offensive rebounding and 3-point attempts. The Bulldogs average 73.7 points per game, led by Shaunice Reed (12.8) and Angie Juste-Jean (10.0). The teams are at tied 4 in the all-time series, with Wednesday marking their first meeting since 2020.