UNC Asheville beats Gardner-Webb 69-50 at Kimmel Arena Thursday

UNC Asheville built a decisive early advantage and never relented, defeating Gardner-Webb 69-50 at Kimmel Arena. A blistering first half - 58.3% shooting and eight of 14 first-half baskets coming from beyond the arc - produced a 41-27 halftime cushion that Asheville carried through the second half.

"Asheville never trailed and never allowed Gardner-Webb to tie the score," a summary line from the game coverage said, underscoring how control on both ends kept the Bulldogs ahead. The game's largest lead reached 23 points as Asheville converted hot perimeter shooting into a sustainable margin.

DJ Patrick and Justin Wright paced the offense with identical 16-point outputs. Patrick drilled five 3-pointers and finished with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. "Out of the third media timeout, DJ Patrick sank a 3-pointer to give Asheville its first double-digit lead (27–15)," a play-by-play note recorded during the game. Wright added six assists, three steals and four rebounds, and late in the first half he hit a go-ahead triple to restore a double-digit margin as the half closed: "In the final two minutes of play, Gardner-Webb brought Asheville’s lead back down to single digits, but a 3-pointer from Justin Wright with a little over a minute to go helped Asheville get back to a double-digit lead (39–27)."

Junior Daniel Thomas recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Seven of Thomas' rebounds were on the offensive glass, and eight of his boards came in the second half. Kameron Taylor supplied 12 points, all in the first half, contributing to the early surge that set the tone for the night.

Team statistics underlined Asheville's control. UNC Asheville shot 43% from the field (23-53) and 42% from three (10-24) while out-rebounding Gardner-Webb 38-30 and committing fewer turnovers (9 to Gardner-Webb's 13). Gardner-Webb finished 20-52 from the field (38%) and 6-22 from three (27%). Free throw shooting was 13-21 (62%) for Asheville and 4-7 (57%) for Gardner-Webb. ESPN's boxscore data listed the game's largest lead as 23 and included referees Jeff Pon, Joe Switzer and Jeremy Moiser on the crew.

The victory moves UNC Asheville to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in Big South play. Gardner-Webb falls to 3-20 and 1-7 in conference action. For Asheville, the win is more than one night’s result; strong home performances at Kimmel Arena reinforce the program’s positioning in a crowded middle of the Big South standings and help sustain local interest and attendance as the conference schedule deepens.

Social media captured the local feel after the game, with posts celebrating Daniel Thomas and Patrick that included the tags #ALLinAVL and #IWWD. What comes next for Asheville is maintaining the first-half efficiency and defensive edge that produced this win as the Bulldogs look to improve conference seeding in the weeks ahead.