Bulldog Rivalry Renewed as UNC Asheville Hosts Gardner-Webb ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — The Big South’s Bulldog rivalry resumes Friday afternoon when the UNC Asheville women’s basketball team hosts Gardner-Webb at Kimmel Arena. The conference matchup comes just over three weeks after UNC Asheville (8-13) secured a 62-51 road victory over Gardner-Webb (6-16) on Jan. 7. Both teams enter on losing streaks, with the visiting Runnin’ Bulldogs having dropped four straight and the home Bulldogs coming off a loss at Radford last Friday. A key rematch will be at guard, where Gardner-Webb’s Anaya Harris and UNC Asheville’s Nia Green are coming off strong individual performances. Harris scored a team-high 17 points in Wednesday’s 76-70 loss to Longwood, while Green poured in 24 points in Asheville’s 64-52 defeat at Radford. Harris torched Asheville for 20 points in the first meeting, but Green’s 18-point, 3-assist effort helped secure the win for her squad. Gardner-Webb’s recent struggles have been marked by offensive inconsistency, failing to reach 50 points in three of its last five games. UNC Asheville has shown more volatility, following a three-game win streak with a double-digit loss last time out. Despite UNC Asheville’s better overall record and the earlier head-to-head win, National Statistical’s ELO system projects Gardner-Webb with a 55.3% probability to win Friday’s contest. The game tips off at 7 p.m. Eastern. Following this matchup, UNC Asheville travels to face Charleston Southern on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Gardner-Webb’s next contest is at home against Winthrop on Saturday, Feb. 7.