Box Score
Ronnie Taylor scored 12 points for the Spartans |
Buies Creek, NC - Ronnie Burrell scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the UNC Greensboro men's basketball team to its first victory of the season with a hard fought 78-66 win over Campbell Tuesday night in Carter Gymnasium.
"I am really proud of how we played under pressure tonight," UNCG head coach Fran McCaffery said. "There is nothing better than going on the road and picking up a win in a hostile environment. We had only one road win all last season, so this was particularly sweet."
Campbell jumped out to a quick 4-2 lead in front of a boisterous home crowd. UNCG though was able to settle in, quiet the crowd, and begin running a very effective halfcourt motion offense. Senior point guard Ronnie Taylor created many early easy shots for his teammates by spreading the offense and penetrating the Camels defense. Through its offense the Spartans were able to control the tempo and extended its lead to as many as 22-9 midway through the first half.
Campbell then switched into a zone defense that stymied the Spartans offense after UNCG extended its lead to 30-13. The Camels promptly went on a 6-0 run over a three and a half minute stretch to cut the lead to 30-19 with just three minutes left in the half.
UNCG weathered the storm and held on to take a 37-24 lead into the intermission after shooting 51 percent from the floor, despite going 0-for-8 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Camels were able to maintain the momentum they took into the half as they closed the Spartans lead to 10, 41-31, through defensive pressure and dominance on the glass. The Camels then pulled to within one point of the Spartans, 44-43, igniting the home crowd with 13:39 remaining in regulation, after UNCG's Jay Joseph was relegated to the bench upon picking up his third foul early in the half.
Burrell stopped the bleeding with a bucket in the paint to put the Spartans back up 46-43. A pair of free throws then by Josh Gross gave the Spartans a 48-43 advantage, and a little bit of breathing room going into the twelve minute media timeout.
Tarick Johnson connected on two free throws to tie the game, 50-50, for the first time since the game's opening moments. Taylor came down and drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the lead back to UNCG, 53-50. The Camels then scored four straight to take a one point lead. In a battle of big shots, UNCG's Jay Joseph countered with a jumper just inside the 3-point line to give the Spartans back the lead, 55-54. Joseph then drilled a 3-pointer on the Spartans' next possession and followed that with two free throws to extend UNCG's lead to 60-54.
In a game of runs, Campbell made a layup and then converted three of four free throws after Ronnie Taylor picked up a technical foul to trim the lead to one, 60-59. The Spartans then dug in their heels on defense and limited Campbell to just one shot on offense, as Burrell dominated the glass in the waning moments of the game. Joseph, a Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate, showed his poise down the stretch as he converted back-to-back big offensive plays to give the Spartans a double-digit lead, 71-61, that would prove too much for Campbell to come back from.
In addition to Burrell's 18 points, Joseph scored a team-best 19 points. Joseph also connected on one 3-pointer to extend his consecutive game streak with a made 3-pointer to 34. Taylor also added 12 points from the point guard position, including several clutch free throws in the clutch.
"Ronnie Burrell has really worked hard and has taken his game to another level this year," McCaffery added. "He really came on at the end of last season and now he just has all kinds of confidence in his game."
Tarick Johnson led Campbell with a game-high 22 points, while going 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Diego Aguiar added 18 points, while freshman Anthony Atkins chipped in with 16.
UNCG will make its 2003-2004 home debut Saturday, November 29, against crosstown rival Greensboro College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm in the friendly confines of Fleming Gymnasium.
