BOX SCORE (pdf)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Andrew Rowsey led four players in double figures with 24 points and UNC Asheville broke open a close game late to earn an 86-73 victory over Campbell Wednesday at Kimmel Arena.
Rowsey hit 6-11 from the floor and all 10 free throws for the Bulldogs (12-11, 6-3 Big South), who shot 63 percent in the second half. Jaron Lane added 17 points – 15 in the final stanza – D.J. Cunningham 16 and Corey Littlejohn 11 for Asheville.
Reco McCarter led Campbell (11-13, 5-4) with 25 points on 8-of-11 from the field and 7-of-8 from the stripe, plus a game-high 10 rebounds. Andrew Ryan scored 12, while Darius Leonard and Kyre' Hamer added 10 each for Campbell, which committed 19 turnovers, 9 more than its average over the first 8 league games. Leek Leek blocked a career-high 6 shots and grabbed 7 rebounds.
"It's always tougher on the road, but we've got to bring the physicality and attention it requires to handling that," said Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan. "We've proven we can win on the road and that we have that extra level of toughness. We just need to find that again."
UNC Asheville improved to 33-8 at Kimmel Arena since the building opened in 2011, including a 7-2 mark this year, when the Bulldogs have led at half-time of each outing.
An 11-0 Bulldog run broke open a tight game and sent Asheville to its largest lead (69-53) after Lane drove to the bucket with 4:39 to play. Campbell cut the margin to 10 on three occasions, but did not draw closer.
McCarter scored 19 of his points in the second half, but Asheville's front court combined to shoot 12-of-14 in the final stanza.
On the night, Campbell shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field and made 8-of-26 threes (.308). However, Asheville made for free throws (20-27) than Campbell attempted (15-18) and knocked down 30-of-57 from the field (.526), including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.
The Camels jumped to a 19-12 lead on Luke Moyer's pull-up jumper with 9:39 left that capped a 14-5 spurt. CU matched the advantage (27-20) after Reco McCarter made a pair from the line with 4:09 remaining in the half.
However, the Bulldogs closed the period on a 12-4 run and Rowsey's drive just before the horn put Asheville ahead 32-31 at intermission.
Campbell shot 46 percent from the field, but made just 3-of-14 from three-point distance in the opening half and held a 20-12 advantage on the glass. CU limited the taller Bulldogs to just one first-period offensive rebound. Ryan scored 8 first-half points and McCarter added 6.
Asheville shot 43 percent from the floor before half-time, hit 4-of-8 triples and 2-of-5 from the line. Rowsey had 10 points in the opening frame on 4-of-7 shooting, 2-of-2 from distance.
Campbell continues a 2-game road stretch Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. tip-off at Winthrop. The game will air on ESPN3.
