January 18, 2011

UNCG (9-7, 6-2 SoCon) vs. Elon (11-5, 6-2 SoCon), Jan. 19, 7 p.m., Fleming Gym

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UNCG vs. Elon game notes

Storylines

• UNCG kicks off a three-game homestand Wednesday when it hosts Elon in a battle of Southern Conference leaders. The teams bring identical 6-2 league records into the contest, slated for 7 p.m. at Fleming Gymnasium.

• UNCG and Elon are tied atop the league standings with Appalachian State, which is also 6-2 in the SoCon. The Mountaineers are coming to Greensboro on Saturday, meaning the next two contests offer a chance for UNCG to put some distance between itself and the rest of the SoCon.

• Wednesday's contest pits a pair of surprise league leaders against each other. The Spartans were picked ninth in the preseason SoCon media and coaches polls, while Elon was seventh in the media poll and eighth in the coaches poll.

• UNCG snapped a brief two-game losing streak with a 50-45 victory at College of Charleston on Saturday. Monique Floyd scored a game-high 18 points, while Dayshaun Richbow had 11 and Kendra Smith 10. Smith hit a clutch jumper as the shot clock expired with 24 seconds left in the game and Richbow knocked down a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left to ice it as UNCG downed the Cougars in Charleston, S.C., for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

• After allowing Chattanooga and Samford to hit 11 3-pointers each in the two games prior, the Spartans held CofC without a 3-point field goal on Saturday, marking the first time a UNCG opponent had come up empty from long range since Virginia Tech was 0-for-5 on Jan. 10, 2007.

 • UNCG has a winning record through 16 games for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign, when the Spartans were 10-6 at that point.

• UNCG leads the series with Elon 22-14, including wins in 19 of the last 24. The Spartans swept both games last season, taking an 84-70 win in Greensboro on Jan. 13, 2010, and a 77-71 win in Elon, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2010. UNCG is 14-3 against Elon in Greensboro, including a 9-1 mark in Fleming Gymnasium, with the lone loss coming on Feb. 27, 2009.

• Last time the teams met, UNCG's Amanda Leigh notched a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs, in the Spartans' 77-71 road win last season. Leigh's six 3-pointers in the contest were one shy of the UNCG single-game record. Elon got 24 points from Ali Ford.

• Floyd leads UNCG in scoring and rebounding at 13.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Leigh is second in scoring at 11.6 points, while freshman Janae' Stevenson is second in rebounding at 5.9 per contest. Floyd, who leads the SoCon with a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, dishes off a team-best 3.3 assists per game.

• UNCG's 56-50 win at Western Carolina on Jan. 3 was coach Lynne Agee's 550th at UNCG. She is now 552-302 in 30 seasons at the helm for the Spartans. Overall, she is 598-325 in her 33-year career and needs two more wins to become just the 12th active coach to reach 600.

• Elon coach Karen Barefoot recently picked up a milestone win of her own, as the Phoenix's 64-47 win at Wofford on Sunday was the 200th of her career.

• Elon has won five straight games overall and six straight in SoCon play to rebound from an 0-2 league start. The Spartans and Phoenix have played eight common opponents so far, with UNCG going 6-2 against the group and Elon going 7-1. UNCG owns a win over Western Carolina, which beat Elon, while Elon beat Samford and Chattanooga, which beat UNCG.

• Ford, the reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year, leads Elon in scoring with 16.4 points per game, the fifth-best mark in the league. The All-SoCon pick is second in the SoCon in made 3-pointers with 42 on the season. Kelsey Evans is second on the team with 11.6 points per game and leads the SoCon with 8.6 rebounds per game. Shon Redmond is second in the SoCon with 2.5 steals per game and Lisa Archie is second in the league with 2.4 blocked shots per game. As a team, Elon leads the league in blocks with 5.8 and is second in scoring offense at 69.7 points per game.

• Ford had 17 points and eight rebounds in the win over Wofford, while Evans added 13 points.

• Elon picked up one vote in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.

• UNCG is 4-2 at home this season, while Elon is 4-4 on the road.

- UNCG -