ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The Presbyterian College men's basketball team put forth a valiant comeback effort, took the lead, and lost a heartbreaker to UNC Asheville Saturday evening in a key Big South Conference match-up, 68-58.
The Blue Hose fall to 8-12 on the season and 5-4 in Big South play. Asheville improves to 9-11 on the year and 5-4 against conference competition.
Leading the way for Presbyterian College was Travis Sligh, who netted 16 points in the game, all of which came in the final 20 minutes of action. Bryan Bostic chipped in 15 while no other student-athlete recorded double figures. Al'Lonzo Coleman recorded another double-double performance with 10 points and 10 boards to go along with a team-best four assists.
Sligh just missed a double-double after pulling down nine rebounds. Pierre Miller had four assists as did Josh Johnson in the losing effort.
Down by four at the break, the Blue Hose found themselves facing a six-point hole just 13 seconds into the second half. PC then went on a 9-0 run, taking the lead at the 17:08 mark on Bostic's three-pointer.
The visitors tried to pull away, but could never make the working margin large enough. With 7:58 to go, the Blue Hose held a seven-point lead, but turnovers hurt the squad, allowing Asheville to close the gap and eventually go ahead. The teams were tied at 54-54, but a 14-4 run by the home squad gave it the win.
After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-0 lead 3:36 into the game, head coach Gregg Nibert's team slowly worked itself back into the contest. At the 8:26 mark, Johnson swished a deep three-ball, pulling the visiting Blue Hose within four, 18-14.
Neither team could score for a couple of minutes of play before Jason Ridenhour made a lay-up 5:47 before half. On the ensuing possession, Chase Holmes turned the ball over. Coleman, pressuring the opposition, knocked the ball out of bounds. He then got tangled up with an Asheville player, earning Coleman a technical foul.
The Bulldogs connected on both charity tosses and then hit a lay-up, putting the score at 24-14 with 5:08 to go. Asheville's Chris Stephenson hit a three-pointer with 4:31 to play, giving the home team a 13-point edge.
Presbyterian College would not go quietly, though. Trailing 29-14, Coleman hit a lay-up off a pass from Pierre Miller. After a solid defensive possession, Bostic hit a three from the top of the key, pulling the Blue Hose within 10. Sligh gathered a rebound on the next possession and Johnson got the ball to Bostic, who drained a fade-away three-pointer. Thirty seconds later, Miller hit a pair of free throws, slicing the deficit to five. Coleman then hit a short bucket, cutting the deficit to three, 29-26, as the Blue Hose completed a 12-0 run spanning 1:56.
Matt Dickey hit a three pointer with 13 seconds to go before intermission, but Johnson's slicing lay-up with two ticks on the clock pulled the visitors within four at the break.
In the opening half, the Bulldogs got 10 of their 32 points off turnovers and had 11 more second-chance points than PC.
For the game, the Blue Hose shot 40.7 percent on 22-of-54 attempts from the floor. The Bulldogs drained 23-of-54 for 42.6 percent shooting. The Blue Hose grabbed one more rebound, 34-33, but committed three more turnovers.
Asheville scored 20 points off turnovers while PC managed just 10. The Bulldogs had 14 second-chance points to 10 for Nibert's team.
The Blue Hose return to action January 31, when they play host to High Point at 7 p.m., in the Templeton Center.
