Former Tennessee Basketball forward Drew Pember has been having an incredible senior season at UNC Asheville, and he continued to excel Wednesday night with a record-setting performance.
Pember went off for 48 points, a school record, 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks in an 88-80 overtime victory over Presbyterian. Pember shot 14-24 (.583) from the field in the win and was 8-10 from deep. Pember’s 48 points were seven more than Georgia scored in Tennessee’s 70-41 win over the Bulldogs in Knoxville on Wednesday.
The first 15 of Pember’s 48 points all came from three, and the former Vol’s five three-pointers early in the first half were UNC Asheville’s first points of the game.
While Pember isn’t scoring 40+ every game, the former Vol has scored 20+ in four straight games and has scored at least 20 in 12 of 22 contests this season. Only twice has Pember failed to reach double digits this year.
Pember’s night also set the record for most points scored by any Division 1 men’s basketball player this season.
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The Knoxville native has led the Bulldogs to an 8-1 conference record thus far by averaging and outstanding 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-11 Pember played for the Vols in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Most previously in 2020 for Tennessee, Pember only saw action in 10 games. He scored two points on the season–a dunk against South Carolina–and averaged 2.8 minutes per game. As a freshman, Pember averaged 1.3 points and 1 rebound per game in 22 total appearances as a reserve post.
Pember entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season and has been dominant force for UNC Asheville ever since. In addition to his incredible run so far this season, Pember won 2021-2022 Big South Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Big South First Team roster.
2 Responses
New uniforms for all Vol teams usually mean losses.
Presbyterian is not 8-1 in their conference. They are 1-8.