UNCG (2-6, 1-1 SoCon) at Akron (5-3)

VIDEO BONUS COVERAGE NOW AVAILABLE IN SPARTAN ALL ACCESS FOR SEASON AND ANNUAL SUBSCRIBERS

Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio
Dec. 18, 2009 • Game 9
Radio: WPET 950-AM (Scott Pryzwansky & Dick Stewart)
Internet: UNCGSpartans.com (audio), Yahoo! Sports (audio)
LiveStats: UNCGSpartans.com (via GoZips.com)

UNCG freshman Kyle Randall gets to go home when the Spartans play Akron on Friday night. Randall
grew up just 45 minutes from Akron in Youngstown, Ohio.

STORYLINES

• UNCG hits the road for a return game at Akron on Friday night. The Spartans are coming off a 65-50 loss to Princeton at home on Sunday. UNCG cut the deficit to seven by holding the Tigers without a field goal for almost five minutes, but could get no closer down the stretch.  
• Pete Brown, Ben Stywall and Kendall Toney are slated to play in their 100th career game against Akron. The trio has never missed a game during the Spartan careers.
• UNCG has outrebounded five of its eight opponents, including each of the last three. Ben Stywall already has 34 offensive rebounds this season (11 of those coming in the loss to College of Charleston) and leads the team at 9.0 per game. UNCG is in the Top 20 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (15.5).
• Brandon Evans, a transfer from East Carolina in his first season with the Spartans, seems to be hitting his stride. After struggling in his first two games, he has scored 10 or more points in five of his last six. He is now averaging 11.1 ppg, second on the team.
• Tonight is a Homecoming for Youngstown, Ohio native Kyle Randall. Family and several friends will be making the 45-minute trek over from Youngstown to see the freshman play. That's a little shorter than the nine hours several of them drove for the opener at Duke... on the nearly 11 hours his father drove to Birmingham for the Samford game two weeks ago.

BREAKING IT DOWN (Courtesy Stats, inc. - through Wed.)

UNCG (2-6)

Offense (Rank)

Points: 62.4 (292)

Rebounds: 15.5 (13)

Assists: 10.4 (309)

FG%: 39.5% (303)

FT%: 68.7% (165)

3P%: 33.6% (182)

Defense (Rank)

Points: 71.0 (228)

Rebounds: 20.8 (317)

Assists: 14.1 (249)

FG%: 48.0% (316)

FT%: 65.5% (95)

3P%: 30.4% (66)

RPI - 222 // SOS - 133 (WarrenNolan.com)

Akron (5-3)

Offense (Rank)

Points: 65.8 (258)

Rebounds: 12.8 (108)

Assists: 13.0 (189)

FG%: 40.8% (270)

FT%: 59.5% (336)

3P%: 33.3% (188)

Defense (Rank)

Points: 61.8 (63)

Rebounds: 23.1 (224)

Assists: 11.9 (121)

FG%: 40.4% (96)

FT%: 69.4% (210)

3P%: 34.1% (179)

RPI - 141 // SOS - 138 (WarrenNolan.com)

INJURY UPDATE

Taylor Hoffer is out for the season and will redshirt following preseason surgery on his leg. Mikko Koivisto is day-to-day with a hip strain.

WOW, WHAT A DAY!

UNCG's conference opener at Samford - the program's first-ever against the Bulldogs - was quite the performance. A few of the notes from that game:

• UNCG held Samford without a field goal for the final 11:15.
• The Spartans held a 27-9 advantage in rebounding in the second half, when Samford shot just 3-of-22 from the floor.
• The 40 points allowed were the fewest in the Division I era and fewest since Dec. 2, 1985 against Piedmont Bible.
• The previous mark for scoring margin in a road conference game was 23 against Winthrop in 1995.
• It was the largest margin of victory over a Division I foe ever (30 in an 84-54 win over The Citadel) and the largest since an 85-47 win over Greensboro College (Dec. 16, 2005).

DAVIS MAKING HIS DEBUT

UNCG guard Brandon Davis will be in uniform for the first time tonight. Davis, a native of Greensboro and product of Greensboro Day School, transferred from UNC Asheville last December after spending his first three semesters with the Bulldogs. Davis, a walk-on at UNCG, saw significant playing time in 2007-08 at UNCA because of injuries to the backcourt. He decided to leave early last season, using his redshirt season. However, due to NCAA transfer rules, Davis was not eligible for competition until the end of this week when UNCG's first semester concluded.

STARTING TO MAKE A MARK

UNCG's freshmen guard Korey Van Dussen and Kyle Randall are starting to make their presence known. Randall scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the decisive second half against Samford, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor in the second half. Van Dussen finished the Samford game with 11 points and four assists. Randall played 34 minutes, while Van Dussen played 33.

CROWDED COLISEUM DEBUT

UNCG lost in its first home outing to No. 22 Clemson, 89-67. (Complete game story and box score on page 19.) The game was played at UNCG's new home - the Greensboro Coliseum - in front of a crowd of 5,672. In that number, there were about 1,000 walk-ups the day of the game and more than 2,200 student tickets. In fact, 1,633 student tickets were distributed the first day for the Clemson game. Take note that UNCG's on-campus facility Fleming Gym has a capacity of 1,831.

THE QUOTE TO SUM IT UP

Mike Dement was talking with the FSN broadcast crew prior to the Clemson game and summed up his three early season games against the ACC this way... "We're playing three games against the ACC to open the season. There are ACC teams not ready to play three ACC opponents to open the season."

ABOUT THE NEW HOUSE

Currently celebrating its 50th year, the Greensboro Coliseum has played host to the Final Four and numerous NCAA Tournament regional and opening rounds games - 51 to be exact, ACC Tournaments (including five of the next six years), and concert performers like The Who, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, George Strait, Jimmy Buffett and Shania Twain.

The venue holds 23,000, but it will be downsized to 7,617 for a typical configuration and will be enlarged when called for. The Spartans had played occasional games at the Coliseum over the years. Last February, UNCG and Davidson played here in front of a crowd of 11,267. The walk-up crowd for that was more than 1,800 fans - more than the capacity of UNCG's on-campus venue Fleming Gym (capacity 1,831). The Spartans drew more than 21,000 for No. 1 Duke in December 2005.

EARLY DIVIDENDS

The move to the Greensboro Coliseum and the upgraded schedule are already having a positive effect for UNCG's men's basketball program.

The Spartans signed four players during the early signing period with a big factor being playing against arguably the best non-conference slate in the country in a historic venue. Mike Dement told reporters last week, "we had one of our early signees verbally commit after watching us play Duke on television. We were on the bus coming back and he called one of our cell phones. That's what this move can do for us. More games on television and a beautiful venue like this is going to have a significant impact on who we can recruit."

SEASON TICKET RECORD

UNCG sold a record number of season tickets for this first season in the Coliseum. There are a total of 1,354 season tickets for the 2009-10 basketball season.

TOUGH CLOSING AT VIRGINIA TECH

UNCG was tied with Virginia Tech, 38-38, with 10:48 to play. But UNCG turned the ball over on six of their next seven possessions as Virginia Tech went on an 11-0 run. The Spartans went 5:40 between field goals. The end result was a 59-46 win by Virginia Tech.

A GOOD OPENING EFFORT

The final score from the season-opener at Duke may not have been indicative, but UNCG coach Mike Dement was not entirely displeased with his team's performance. The Spartans got solid production from three freshmen making their collegiate debut (Brian Cole, Korey Van Dussen and Kyle Randall) and didn't look flustered (just 14 turnovers) in one of the most intimidating environments in college basketball. In fact, UNCG played Duke even for most of the second half, with the Blue Devils extending their lead during a 13-5 run in a four-minute span midway through the second half. (Duke outscored UNCG, 48-35, in the second half).

One point that Dement made in the postgame press conference was that the Spartans didn't convert second chances against the bigger Blue Devils. UNCG had 13 offensive rebounds and just six second-chance points.

TWEET, TWEET

If you are a fan of Twitter, UNCG information can be found at several Twitter pages. For all general athletics information, the UNCG athletics Twitter is @uncgsports. More specifically, UNCG coach Mike Dement has his own Twitter page @coachmikedement. Director of Athletics Kim Record started her own page as well @UNCGSpartansAD.

A STRONG NUCLEUS

While coming off a disappointing season, the Spartans return a solid nucleus from last season's squad. Nearly 74 percent of last year's scoring returns, including three of the top four scorers from last year in Mikko Koivisto, Ben Stywall and Kendall Toney. Seven of the nine players returning from last year's roster have started 10 or more contests in their career. In addition, the Spartans regain the services of Darrius Sellers, who was lost for the season before it was even underway. Sellers suffered a leg injury that required surgery in preseason conditioning workouts after playing in 21 games as a freshman.

FRESH FACES

The Spartans also have a host of new faces that will likely see significant time this season. Brandon Evans sat out last season after transferring from East Carolina, where he was a key reserve for most of two seasons. Mike Dement has also added four freshmen, three of whom are expected to see the floor on an extended basis this season. Brian Cole will probably see even more playing time this season now that fellow freshman Taylor Hoffer is lost for the season due to leg surgery. Guards Korey Van Dussen and Kyle Randall come to UNCG highly-touted and will be a key part of the backcourt rotation. Van Dussen finished third in the Mr. Michigan voting last season at Zeeland East HS, where he led the team to their first regional title in 60 years. Randall was the AP's Class A Player of the Year in Pennsylvania.

SPARTANS SIGN FOUR

UNC Greensboro men's basketball coach Mike Dement has announced the signing of four student-athletes thus far during the National Letter of Intent program's early signing period.

The Spartans have received commitments from 6-9 power forward Cody Henegar, 6-6 shooting guard Mike Liabo, 6-2 guard Drew Parker and 6-5 wing Trevis Simpson.

"We are very pleased to welcome these four individuals into our program," said Dement. "This is a good class with still one grant to fill if we choose. All four young men come from outstanding backgrounds and we look forward to them joining us next fall.

"These kids and their families recognize the opportunity they have before them academically, as well as with our move to play our games in the Greensboro Coliseum and against the schedule we are going to face. They were attracted to those things and they are excited about it. We will expect them to play significant roles next season since we are graduating six seniors. They will be a big part of the future of this program."

UNCG will graduate five scholarship players this spring in Ben Stywall, Mikko Koivisto, Kendall Toney, Pete Brown and Montel Smith.

Henegar is a 6-9 post player from Marion County High School. A native of Jasper, Tenn., Henegar averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks per contest last season at Marion County. He played his AAU basketball for the Nashville Celtics, where he is averaging eight points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He's helped the Celtics to a 50-20 mark over the last two years, including a River City Showdown Championship and an Elite 8 finish at the adidas 64 Tournament in Las Vegas.

Ranked as one of the Top 20 players in the state of Tennessee this season, Henegar is a McDonald's All-American nominee. He was also named to the Class AA, 3-AA all-region team last season.

Liabo is a 6-6 shooting guard/small forward from Brehm Prep in Carbondale, Ill. Currently in a year of prep school, Liabo averaged 22.5 points per game last season as a senior for Brehm. A native of Crystal Lake, Ill., he played his AAU basketball for the Illinois Warriors. Liabo was a Class 5A all-state honorable mention selection for Gulf Coast High School in the Naples, Fla. area before his family moved to Illinois prior to last season. He averaged 20 points per game as a junior for Gulf Coast, breaking the school's single-season scoring mark.

Parker is a 6-2 point guard from Laporte High School in Laporte, Texas. He averaged 10 points and eight assists per contest last season as Laporte went 28-10. Parker is ranked in the Top 20 seniors in the state of Texas according to TexasHoops.com and some regard him as the top point guard in Houston.

Parker comes from a basketball family as his mother is a former high school coach and played at the University of Houston, while his father played collegiately at Iowa State and professionally in the ABA. Andrew, Sr., who was a third-round pick of the Washington Bullets in the 1979 NBA draft, also coached Drew's AAU squad, the Houston Clippers.

Simpson, a native of Douglas, Ga., is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com and has been rated as high as a Top 100 player nationally. At 6-5 and 190 lbs, Simpson is athletic with a 42-inch vertical leap. Last season at Coffee County High School, he averaged 16 points and six rebounds per game, playing virtually every position on the floor and earning all-region honors. He played his AAU basketball previously with the Atlanta Celtics finished with the Georgia Hawks.

FOR YOUR TV GUIDE

Three of UNCG's five television appearances have now been picked up by ESPN Full Court. UNCG's games against Clemson, NC State and The Citadel will all be shown as part of the ESPN Full Court package. The Clemson game was also picked up by ESPN 360.

SoCon STANDING

The Spartans were picked tied for fifth in the Southern Conference's North Division during the coaches' preseason balloting. Western Carolina, which returns all five starters from last season, was picked to finish first in the North Division, while College of Charleston was picked to win the league's South Division.

In the conference coaches' voting, the Catamounts earned 10 first-place votes and finished the balloting with 64 points. Appalachian State earned the remaining two first-place votes in the North Division and finished with 55 points. Samford (44) was chosen third while last season's tournament champion, Chattanooga (39), was slotted fourth. Elon and UNCG tied for fifth place with 22 points apiece.

Behind eight first-place votes, College of Charleston was picked to win the South Division. The Cougars finished 15-5 in league play a season ago and advanced to the tournament championship before falling to the Mocs. Wofford picked up three first-place votes and finished second in the preseason balloting with 54 points. Davidson, which has won the South Division each of the past three years, earned the final first-place vote in the South Division and came in third with 48 points. The Citadel (36) finished fourth, followed by Furman (24) and Georgia Southern (21).

GRAB BAG

Mikko Koivisto: Has been bothered by a hip problem the last few games, which caused him to record just one field goal in the last four games (playing a combined 38 minutes in those four contests)... active leader in the Southern Conference in three-point field goals with 221, which is also third most in school history... was a perfect 16-for-16 from the foul line in the final two minutes of games last season and 25-of-26 from the stripe inside of the 5-minute mark... needs 26 points for 1,000 in his career... UNCG's top career free throw shooter at an 86.6% clip (149-172).

Ben Stywall: Tied a career-high with 15 rebounds against Samford on Saturday, including 12 in the decisive second half (a big part of UNCG's 27-9 rebound edge in the second half); followed that up with 14 rebounds against College of Charleston, including 11 on the offensive glass... his 15 rebounds against Samford marked just the 34th time in school history a player had 15 or more rebounds in a game; he is the seventh player to do it multiple times (also had 15 against Delaware in 2006-07)... the senior man in the Southern Conference, his 2,996 career minutes are the most among SoCon active players... moved into fifth on the school's career rebounding list, passing James Maye, at Virginia Tech (12 shy of fourth)... had 19 points - all in the second half - in the season-opener at Duke... tied a career-high with five steals against Clemson, to go along with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks... has 14 career double-doubles after his 11 points and 15 rebounds at Samford and 21 points and 14 boards against College of Charleston; 14 double-doubles ranks fifth in school history... active leader in the Southern Conference in free throws made (249) and attempted (398); that also ranks eighth in UNCG history in both categories... also the league's active leader in rebounds (703)... his 109 career steals is second on the SoCon's active leaders list.

Brandon Evans: May just be shaking off the rust a little bit, scoring 10 or more points in five of the last six games. After having to sit out last year following his transfer from East Carolina, Evans scored just nine points in his first two games as a Spartan. However, he led the Spartans in scoring the next two games with 17 points against No. 22 Clemson and 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the win at USC Upstate (despite shooting 8-for-15 at the line)... had 16 points off of the bench in the win at Samford on Saturday... his double-double against USC Upstate made him the first Spartan guard with a points-rebounds double-double since Ricky Hickman did it a double-overtime loss at NC State on January 2, 2007.

Former Spartans overseas: Several Spartans are playing overseas again this season. In fact, earlier this month, two of the three Spartans to have their number retired, met in a Lega Due game in Italy. Kyle Hines had 24 points as Prima Veroli beat A.B. Latina, 95-87. Courtney Eldridge had 22 for A.B. Latina... others overseas include Bart Tooms (Netherlands - Upstairs Weert), Ronnie Taylor (France - Le Portel), Ricky Hickman (Finland - Namika Lahti), Josh Gross (Japan - Aishin), Davor Galic (Croatia - Darda), and Ronnie Burrell (Poland - Assec. Prokom).

Spooner steps away: Walk-on Sean Spooner decided to leave the team prior to the season-opener.

Cleaning the glass: After getting beaten on the boards by Duke, 44-26, in the season-opener. UNCG outrebounded its next two opponents - Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Spartans had 20 offensive rebounds against Clemson on the way to a 37-35 advantage on the glass. .. In the last three outings, UNCG has outrebounded the opposition by 42. UNCG had a 40-22 advantage against Samford, including a 27-9 margin in the second half when UNCG outscored the Bulldogs, 42-12. The Spartans followed that up with a 49-29 advantage in the three-point loss to College of Charleston, including 25 offensive rebounds. All in all, UNCG has outrebounded the opposition in five of eight games this year.

Looking for 500: UNCG needs eight wins for 500 in the program's history. The Spartans have a 492-606 all-time record as a program. UNCG was 218-267 as a Division III program, 29-52 in three seasons at the Division II level and currently sits at 245-287 in the midst of its 19th season at the Division I level. UNCG has had 16 winning seasons in 42 years with Mike Dement leading the program to four of those.