UNCA v. Liberty: Photo essay

Last-ditch effort

Bulldogs lose to Liberty Flames in Big South semifinals

Senior forward Ahmad Thomas works past the Liberty Flame defense during the Big South semifinal game March 2.

Junior forward Donovan Gilmore goes in for a layup against the Liberty Flame defense.

UNC Asheville Bulldog fans cheer during the semifinal matchup against the Liberty Flames March 2 in the Kimmel Arena.

Sophomore guard Macio Teague inbounds the ball. Teague and his teammate, senior guard Raekwon Miller, both scored a game-high 19 field goals.

Teague pushes against Flame defense for a layup.

With 23.8 seconds left in regulation time, sophomore forward Jonathan Baehre makes a last-ditch effort to score against the Liberty Flames to win the Big South Semifinal.

Despite a hard-fought and hectic last few minutes, the Bulldogs were not able to secure a win in the semifinals of the Big South Tournament.

In the bout during last week’s tournament, held in Kimmel Arena, the Liberty University Flames upset the first-seed Bulldogs 69-64.

The match against Liberty was the Bulldogs’ last hurdle before reaching the championship game of the tournament and a chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

In the first period the Bulldogs pulled out a 38-26 lead going into halftime. Liberty came out strong during the second period and fired back to claim the win.

Liberty started the last minute of regulation time with a 62-56 lead. This last minute took over 10 minutes due to constant fouls and subsequent free throws from both teams, drawing outraged cries from the fans and coaches in reaction to the tough game.

Sophomore guard Macio Teague and senior guard Raekwon Miller led the game in field goals, with 19 scored by each.

Along with Miller, three other seniors, Kevin Vannatta, Ahmad Thomas and Alec Wnuk played their last conference game as UNC Asheville Bulldogs.