UNCG - Montreat Box Score
GREENSBORO, NC – Kyle Hines made his collegiate debut with 21 points and 11 rebounds, one of three Spartans to record a double-double, as UNC Greensboro used a second-half surge to blow out Montreat, 98-67, in men's basketball action at Fleming Gymnasium on Friday night.
Hines, a freshman from Sickerville, NJ, made 10 of 15 field goal attempts from the floor in his first official game as a Spartan. He also added three blocked shots. In UNCG's exhibition game nine days earlier, the 6-6 product of Timber Creek HS had 19 points and 15 rebounds.
“I was comfortable tonight,” said Hines. “I think I got all of my nervousness out in the exhibition game last well.”
Hines was joined on the double-double parade by seniors Ronnie Burrell's 18 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action and Josh Gross' 15 points and 11 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action. Gross had most of his double-double in the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds before intermission. Ricky Hickman also added 15 points and three steals in 22 minutes of work.
“Our game plan was to keep defensive pressure on them for 40 minutes because they had only been playing seven guys,” said UNCG coach Fran McCaffery. “Montreat competed hard throughout but just ran out of gas late in the game. Then we got some steals and transition baskets and the margin grew.
“I don't think I've ever seen a better performance out of a freshman in his first game,” McCaffery said of Hines. “Overall, I was very pleased with the team's effort.”
Montreat (1-3) hung in early by hitting five of its first six from three-point range to lead 19-16 with 11:29 left in the first half. However, out of a timeout, UNCG switched out of its zone to a man-to-man pressure defense and went on a 9-0 run to take a lead it would never relinquish.
UNCG (1-0) stretched the lead to 10 at the intermission, 44-34, before taking control in the second half. The lead was still 10 at 58-48 on a lay-up by Montreat's Tim Lewis. However, the Spartans scored the next eight points, capped off by a dunk by Josh Gross to take a 66-48 lead. The spread hit 28 with 3:06 to play when UNCG went on an 18-5 run, six of those coming in the paint where UNCG held a 52-24 advantage for the night. UNCG shot 51.4 percent from the field as a team, compared to Montreat's 41.3 percent.
The Cavaliers were led by Thomas Nicholson's 19 points off of the bench. Tim Lewis had 17 points and nine rebounds for Montreat. Montreat, however, made just 5-of-16 from behind the arc after its quick start.
The win kept McCaffery perfect in home openers at UNCG. He is now 6-0 in home openers during his tenure with the Spartans.
UNCG will host Coastal Carolina on Tuesday at Fleming Gymnasium. That game has been moved from its original start time to 5 p.m.
AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO 98, MONTREAT 67
MONTREAT (1-3)
Nicolson, 7-12 0-0 19; Lewis, 7-14 3-4 17; Anderson, 3-7 1-2 7; Robinson, 2-5 0-0 6; Griffith, 2-4 0-0 6; Collazo, 2-10 0-0 5; Cathcart, 2-5 0-0 4; Barnett, 1-1 1-1 3; Johnson, 0-3 0-0 0; Hurse, 0-1 0-0 0; Hallon, 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-63 5-9 67.
UNC GREENSBORO (1-0)
Hines, 10-15 1-1 21; Burrell, 7-10 4-9 18; Hickman, 4-10 5-6 15; Gross, 6-13 3-4 15; Beckford, 3-3 2-2 8; Oleksiak, 1-2 2-2 5; Wilson, 1-4 1-2 4; Everette, 1-3 1-2 3; Bristow, 1-5 1-2 3; Yarborough, 1-1 1-2 3; Moore, 1-1 1-2 3; Kelly, 0-1 0-0 0; Johnson, 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 36-70 22-36 98.
Halftime: UNCG, 44-34. 3-point goals-Montreat 10-22 (Nicholson, 5-9; Robinson, 2-4; Griffith, 2-3; Collazo, 1-4; Johnson, 0-1; Hallon, 0-1), UNC Greensboro 4-14 (Hickman, 2-4; Oleksiak, 1-2; Wilson, 1-3; Bristow, 0-2; Kelly, 0-1; Gross, 0-2). Fouled out- Montreat: Anderson, UNC Greensboro: None. Rebounds: Montreat 29 (Lewis, 9), UNC Greensboro 51 (Burrell, 11; Hines, 11; Gross, 11). Assists: Montreat 14 (Collazo, 4), UNC Greensboro 18 (Bristow, 4). Total fouls: Montreat 25, UNC Greensboro 10. A-741
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