December 6, 2010

UNCG (2-4) vs. High Point (4-5), Dec. 7, 7 p.m., Fleming Gym

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UNCG vs. High Point game notes

Storylines

• After nearly a week off, UNCG returns home for the first time since Nov. 15 when it hosts backyard rival High Point on Tuesday at Fleming Gym at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday's game will serve as UNCG's final collection for the FOX8 Gifts for Kids campaign. Money and toys will be collected at the contest for donation to the cause. 

• During the three weeks away from Fleming, UNCG played four road games, going 2-2 and turning in a second-place finish at the Mayfair Hotel and Spa Thanksgiving Tournament in Coral Gables, Fla. The Spartans fell on the road at Charleston Southern on Nov. 22 and downed Morgan State on the road on Wednesday.

• UNCG holds a slim 11-9 lead over High Point in the all-time series, but the Panthers won last year's meeting, 75-63. The teams have met every season since 2004-05. The series began in 1970.

• In last year's game, High Point forced 33 turnovers and used a 28-8 run midway through the second half to blow open what had been a tight game as the Panthers downed UNCG on Nov. 21, 2009, 75-63. Monique Floyd scored 13 points to lead UNCG, while Lakiah Hyson had 10 points for the Spartans. Shamia Brown scored a game-high 20 points off the bench to lead High Point, which also got 13 from Jurica Hargraves, 12 from Amy Dodd and 11 from Erin Reynolds.

• Against Morgan State on Wednesday, Amanda Leigh registered her second career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. All 15 points come from beyond the 3-point line as she hit five for the second game in a row. The Spartans led by as many as 31 points in the second half and cruised to their second win in the last three games. Monique Floyd was also in double figures with 11 points.

• The 19-point win over the Lady Bears was UNCG's biggest win since March 5, 2009, when it thrashed Wofford in the first round of the Southern Conference Championship, 83-64.

• The Spartans had 22 more rebounds than Morgan State on Wednesday, holding a 49-27 advantage on the boards. That margin was UNCG's biggest since Dec. 13, 2008, when the Spartans outrebounded Fordham by 23, 48-25.

• UNCG has used four lineups so far this season. The backcourt appears set with Floyd, Leigh and Dayshaun Richbow starting all six games thus far, but the frontcourt has been a different story. The Spartans have started a different combination in the post in four of the six games this year, with Kendra Smith starting five games and Janae' Stevenson, Amy Clapper and Sidnei Harmon all getting at least two starts each. The combination of Stevenson and Smith has started three games, including the last two.

• Leigh leads UNCG this season with 12.8 points per game, while Floyd is second at 11.5. Stevenson is third at 8.6 points per game to go with her team-best 7.4 rebounds per game, while Richbow paces the team with 3.5 assists per game.

• The Spartans brought home a second-place trophy from the Mayfair Hotel and Spa Thanksgiving Tournament, topping Eastern Illinois 66-58 on Nov. 26 to reach to the title game before falling to the host Miami Hurricanes the following day, 78-60. Leigh and Stevenson were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts over the weekend.

• High Point is off to a 4-5 start to the season. The Panthers' first two games of the season were decided by one point each, as HPU fell to Virginia Commonwealth to open the campaign, 65-64 on a last-second shot from the Rams, before rallying from a 20-point deficit with 10 minutes to play to top American two days later, 60-59. That win was the first of three straight for the Panthers, including a three-point win over Longwood, but HPU lost its next three, including a pair at the University of Texas-El Paso Thanksgiving Tournament. High Point rebounded with a 74-51 win over Campbell last Wednesday before falling to No. 10 West Virginia on Saturday, 89-57.

• Reynolds, a sophomore, leads HPU with 11.1 points per game and scored a career-high 20 points off the bench Saturday at West Virginia. Brown is second in scoring at 10.3 points per game, while 6-4 freshman Cheyenne Parker paces the squad with 6.8 rebounds per game despite starting just one game and playing just 19.8 minutes per game. Frances Fields averages a team-best 2.6 assists per game. Brown, Hargraves, Fields and Dodds have started all nine games, while Mackenzie Maier has started seven.

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