Box Score
Jay Joseph scored 20 points in his record setting night |
Greensboro, NC - Ronnie Burrell poured in a game-high 26 points and Jay Joseph established a new career scoring record, as the UNC Greensboro men's basketball ran past Western Carolina 78-65, Monday night in Fleming Gym.
With the win, UNCG improves to 10-15 on the season and 7-8 in Southern Conference, while Western Carolina drops to 12-14, 5-10.
Ronnie Burrell and Josh Gross propelled the Spartans to a 15-9 advantage during the early stages of the contest with two thunderous dunks. Western Carolina cut the lead to three, 16-13, on a Kevin Martin 3-pointer, but the Spartans went on a 9-3 run to push the advantage back to seven, 25-18. Corey Muirhead connected on an offensive put-back with three second left on the clock in the half, but the Spartans still held the lead, 34-31, heading into the break.
Seconds into the second half Sean McCarthy threw down an alley-oop dunk from a Ronnie Taylor pass to ignite an 8-0 Spartan run, electrifying the crowd. UNCG would then extend their lead to 13, 46-33, on a Burrell layup. The Spartan lead would only swell from that point, growing to 24 on two Gross free throws with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. The Catamounts attempted to creep back into the contest, cutting the Spartan advantage to 17, 72-55, but UNCG thwarted the Western Carolina rally and cruised to the victory.
Joseph tied the school scoring mark early in the second half on a 3-point field goal from the right wing. He then surpassed the scoring mark, previously held by James Maye (1998-03; 1,574), at the 12:05 mark, driving down the baseline and connecting on a reverse layup. The senior from North Wales, PA, now has 1,585 career points.
Burrell's 26 points was his sixth 20-point scoring effort of the season. Joseph went 7-of-10 from the floor for 20 points on the record setting night. As a team, UNCG shot a season-high 61.0% (25-of-41) from the field.
Muirhead paced the Catamounts with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while Martin and Kyle Greathouse scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
UNCG will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, February 25, against Liberty. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm in Fleming Gym. Western Carolina will close out the season on Saturday at home against Appalachian State.
