Chris Martin capped off an 11-5 run over the final two minutes with a layup with .2 seconds left to turn a four-point deficit to a two-point, 79-77, win for the Presbyterian College men's basketball team over UNC Asheville in the Big South opener Thursday night at Templeton Center.  Cory Hightower led the Blue Hose with 18 points and eight rebounds.
 
Scoring the game
A close battle in the first half, PC led by as much a six with just over 16 to play, helped in part by a game-opening three-pointer from Sean Jenkins and three points from Michael Isler.  UNC Asheville used a 12-6 run, which included a couple of three-pointers from Tajion Jones, to knot the game at 14-14, 12:50 to go in the first half.  A Coty Jude basket gave Asheville the two-point lead and ignited a back and forth battle over the next five minutes that saw four lead changes and three more ties, the last at 24-24, 5:22 on the clock, off a LJ Thorpe basket.  The Blue Hose, ignited by a Kody Shubert three-pointer at 4:45, outscored the Bulldogs 9-5 to build a four-point, 33-29, lead at the break.
 
A layup and three-pointer by Zeb Graham in the opening minutes of the second half put the home team ahead by seven, 38-31.  PC tied the game at 44-44 off a Shubert layup at 13:46.  The Bulldogs responded with a 9-4 run to open up a seven-point lead with 12:36 left on the clock.  Trailing by seven again at 48-55, PC rallied back with a three-pointer by Hightower and Martin as part of a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 58-56, 9:11 to go.  Thorpe hit a free throw at 10:01 to end the drought for Asheville, but PC came back with 10 unanswered, including threes from Shubert and Martin to lead by seven, 63-56, 8:22 on the clock.  Lavar Batts hit a three-pointer and a free throw to cut the margin to three at 7:48.  It was the start of a 16-5 run, which saw the Bulldogs hit three-three-pointers and take a four-point, 72-68 lead, 2:17 to go.  A layup and two free throws by PC knotted the game at 72-72, 1:51 on the clock, but Jude hit his third three-pointer of the game to make it a three-point game again, 1:35 left.  PC responded with three free throws and a layup to go up by two, 12 seconds left, but Batts hit a layup with four on the clock to tie the game.  Martin got the inbounds pass and drove up the court, laying in the ball with .2 seconds left to give PC the win, 79-77.
 
Players of the Game
Cory Hightower led the Blue Hose with 18 points and eight rebounds, with Zeb Graham finishing with a career-high 13 points, along with Chris Martin.  Tajion Jones led Asheville with 21 points, off a seven-of-12 effort from beyond the arc.
 
Stats of the Game
The Blue Hose shot 56.0% in the first half and held the Bulldogs to 32.3.  PC only improved in the second half, going 18-of-24 for 75.0%, to end the game with 65.3%.  Asheville shot well in the second at 61.5% to finish the game with 45.6%.  The Blue Hose held the 30-22 advantage in rebounds, and had eight more turnovers, 21-13.  PC hit nine free throws, to Asheville's 13.  Three-pointers were controlled by the Bulldogs, 12-6.
 
For the Record
PC improves to 4-10 overall and 1-0 in the Big South, while UNC Asheville's record drops to 6-6, 0-1.
 
Notables
The team's 65.3 field goal percentage (32-49) ranked second in the PC Division I record book.  The current record is 68.3% (28-41) set in 2015 against Campbell.
Zeb Graham's 13 points, five assists, and 11 field goal attempts were career-highs.
 
Up Next
The Blue Hose travel up the road to Gardner-Webb Saturday, Jan. 4, for a 3 p.m., contest.  The contest will air live on ESPN+ and WPCC.