Martin's drive and hoop lifts Presbyterian by UNC-Asheville

CLINTON, S.C. (AP) — Chris Martin drove the length of the court for the winning basket and Cory Hightower had 18 points and eight rebounds in Presbyterian's 79-77 victory over UNC-Asheville in a Big South Conference opener on Thursday night.

Tied at 77 with 4 seconds remaining, Martin took a short inbound pass, dribbled the length of the court and made a layup from the right side, leaving less than one second on the clock.

After a series of timeouts, UNC Asheville threw a length of the court pass. The Bulldogs' LJ Thorpe caught it and landed on top of Presbyterian’s Michael Isler. No foul was called and time was ruled to have expired.

Neither team led by more than four points in the final eight minutes.

Martin and Zeb Graham scored 13 points each for Presbyterian (4-10, 1-0). Kody Shubert had 11 points and six assists for the Blue Hose.

Tajion Jones had 21 points for the Bulldogs (6-6, 0-1). Lavar Batts Jr. and Coty Jude added 15 points each.

Presbyterian plays at Gardner-Webb on Saturday. UNC-Asheville plays at home against Campbell on Wednesday.