UNC Asheville Edges Longwood 85-82 in Overtime to Advance in Big South Tournament

Justin Wright scored all 12 of UNC Asheville's overtime points, 10 of them from the free-throw line, to lift the Bulldogs past Longwood 85-82 in the Big South Conference Tournament quarterfinals Friday night at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The overtime itself nearly never happened. With Longwood leading by three and under a minute remaining in regulation, Kameron Taylor drilled a corner three-pointer to even the score at 73 and force the extra period. Longwood opened overtime with a pull-up jumper to retake the lead, but Wright responded immediately with two trips to the free-throw line and a basket in the paint to put Asheville back in front.

The decisive moment came during a jump ball with the game knotted at 77, when officials hit Longwood's Jacoi Hutchinson with a technical foul. Asheville converted both free throws and scored on the ensuing possession, a sequence that effectively sealed the 85-82 final.

Wright finished with a game-high 28 points and five rebounds. Taylor added 26 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range, with six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Toyaz Solomon rounded out the trio with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. It was the fourth time this season Wright, Taylor and Solomon each reached 20 points in the same game, and the 13th game in which Asheville had two or more players score 20-plus, the most such games in the Big South.

The win came despite Longwood outrebounding Asheville by 14, controlling the paint and winning the turnover battle. Longwood's Elijah Tucker had eight points at halftime and later threw down a dunk, but landed awkwardly and did not return. Emanuel Richards and Hutchinson both reached double figures in the second half for the Lancers, who finished their season at 16-16 overall and 8-8 in the Big South.

The victory carries more than bracket significance. It marked the fourth consecutive year UNC Asheville has advanced to the Big South semifinals, and it was the program's first postseason win over Longwood in its history. Longwood had gone 3-0 against the Bulldogs in previous conference tournament meetings. The win also completed a season sweep; Asheville won all three regular-season meetings between the two programs as well.

Asheville, now 15-16 overall and 8-8 in the Big South, faces No. 1 seed High Point at noon Saturday in the semifinals. It will be the first Big South Tournament meeting between the two programs since 2016; Asheville holds a 4-3 advantage over the Panthers in their conference tournament history.