ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Presbyterian College women's basketball team wraps up 2013 and a three-game road swing with a visit to UNC Asheville on Monday night at 7 p.m. The Blue Hose will look to snap a two-game skid and pick up their first Big South win of the season following a dramatic 55-50 loss at Winthrop on Saturday afternoon that saw PC launch an impressive comeback bid against one of the league's top teams, outscoring Winthrop by a 35-24 margin in the second half.
PC holds a 7-6 edge in the all-time series against UNC Asheville (all taking place since 2006-07) by virtue of a current six-game winning streak that the Blue Hose will bring to Kimmel Arena. PC bested the Bulldogs in the last meeting in February, taking a 71-40 win at Templeton Center. The Blue Hose shot a Division I school record 65.9 percent from the floor and set a new school record for largest margin of victory in a Big South game. Asheville's last win came on February 13, 2010, in Asheville.
UNC Asheville brings a 4-8 record into Monday night's game with a current five-game losing streak following a 53-47 home defeat against Gardner-Webb that saw the Bulldogs rally back from a 15-point halftime deficit, much like PC's Saturday game at Winthrop. The team's last win came on December 2 against Charleston Southern, 61-46, and Brittany Gwyn paces the squad with 10.4 points per game. Asheville leads the Big South in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a .275 percentage from deep.
PC mounted a furious rally in the second half of its Big South Conference game at Winthrop on Saturday but could not overcome the Eagles, falling 55-50. Down by 16 at the half, PC rallied in the second frame to pull within five down the stretch before time ran out. The Blue Hose outscored the Eagles 35-24 in the second half thanks in part to 11 points from Keyonna Allen in the final 20 minutes. Allen finished with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Karlee Taylor matched Allen's game-high 15 points.
Keyonna Allen's 15-point, 10-rebound performance on Saturday against Winthrop gave the redshirt sophomore her first career double-double and the program's first since Mariah Pietrowski posted the same numbers against Campbell on February 21, 2013. She becomes the second active player with a double-double, joining Sherece Smith, who posted 16 points and 10 rebounds against Gardner-Webb on February 26, 2011.
Karlee Taylor leads the team in scoring (9.0 points per game), free-throw percentage (.783) and three-point percentage (.365). Keyonna Allen paces PC in rebounds (5.7) while Aianna Kelly holds the assists (1.9), steals (1.4) and field goal percentage lead (.422). Rebecca Walker leads all players in blocks, averaging 1.2 per game.
The Blue Hose return home on Thursday with another Big South Conference test against Longwood at 7 p.m. before hosting Radford on January 4 in a matinee matchup at 2 p.m.
