ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Junior forward Lea Smith (Marion, N.C./McDowell) tied her season-high of 15 points on Monday evening as Presbyterian College women's basketball lost 62-36 to UNC Asheville at the Justice Center.
Smith led the Blue Hose in scoring for the second consecutive game while also tying for a team-high rebounds with sophomore forward Chelsea Wright (Atlanta, Ga./Whitefield Academy). Sophomore point guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C./Charlotte Catholic (N.C.)) also scored in double figures with 11 points while adding four rebounds and six assists.
Asheville (6-11, 3-1 Big South) scored 10 seconds in off a pair of free throws but Moore quickly tied the score off a fast-break layup at the 18:33 mark. The Bulldogs went on an 8-0 tear over the next two minutes before Smith grabbed an offensive board and tossed it in for two points to start a 6-0 Blue Hose run. Her jumper from the left side of the basket at 13:39 brought PC within two points of the Bulldogs (10-8).
Sophomore forward Brittany Brown (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to break a four-minute scoring drought and end a seven-point UNC Asheville run with 6:49 remaining in the first half. She followed it up by capitalizing on an open spot under the basket, bringing the Blue Hose within 14 of the Bulldogs (27-13). Following a six-point effort by Asheville, Moore drove in for a layup with 14 seconds remaining, ending the half with a 33-15 advantage for the Bulldogs.
The second half began in UNC Asheville's favor until Mills sank a three-pointer from several feet beyond the arc with 14 minutes to go. Smith received a bounce pass from freshman guard Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) for a layup to cut the Bulldogs' margin to 25 (47-22).
Later in the half, Moore hit a jumper to end a three-minute drought for the Blue Hose. Asheville's lead grew as large as 31 points before Smith made her fourth basket of the night with less than 10 minutes left to play.
Smith added four points off a layup and a pair of free throws in the final two minutes to end the match 62-36.
PC (2-11, 0-2 Big South) scored 24 of its 36 points inside the paint. The Blue Hose shot 31.9 percent from the field while the Bulldogs scored on 44 percent of their shots. Ten different players for Asheville scored but forward Jessica Monroe was the only Bulldog to tally double-digit points (11).
The Blue Hose return home to host Big South opponents Liberty (1/17) and Radford (1/19). Saturday's game against the Flames, the first of a doubleheader with the men's team, starts at 5 p.m.
