UNC Asheville placed five players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated South Carolina State, 82-73, in menís basketball at Justice Center on Dec 17.

The win was the 151st for Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach and moved him into second place on the schoolís career win list for head coaches. He moved past former Bulldog head coach Jerry Green, who won 150 games.

UNCA was led by Vincent Jamesí 19 points. K.J. Garland added 18 points and seven assists. Reid Augst finished with 15 points. Bryan Smithson chipped in 14 points and tied a career-high in assists with nine. Kenny George contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

South Carolina State (3-8) was led by Jason Flagler with 21 points and 14 rebounds. He was 10-of-13 from the field.
ìWe got the job done tonight,î Biedenbach said after the game. ìOur defense wasnít very good at times but we were able to make plays on offense to get the win against a very well-coached South Carolina State team. I liked the balance we had in our scoring as a lot of guys stepped up and played well.î

UNCA led 61-57 with nine minutes left before going on a quick 6-0 run to lead 67-57. James and Smithson hit two free throws to push the Bulldogsí lead to 65-57. Smithson followed with a steal and a lay-up to give UNCA a 10-point lead.
Flager scored five quick points for S.C. State to narrow the lead to 69-64, but a trey from Garland and a three-point play for James got the lead to 75-64 at the 4:30 mark. The visitors could get no closer the rest of the game.

UNCA shot 52 percent (32-of-62) from the field, while S.C. State shot 52 percent, as well. The visitors were 35-of-67 from the field. The Bulldogs have now shot at 50 percent or better in seven of its 10 games.