YPSILANTI, Mich. – The short-handed UNCG men's basketball team made a late run in the closing minutes Saturday night before the Spartans dropped a 70-62 contest to hosting Eastern Michigan in the second day of the EMU Showcase at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. The Spartans will play their third game in as many days Sunday when they face off against Youngstown State at noon.

“I thought our guys competed tonight and fought hard,” head coach Wes Miller said. “I was proud that our team tonight. Last night I was really frustrated but tonight we fought, we were together and we were in it for 40 minutes. The way we played tonight - that team we were – we will win some games this year if we continue to approach each game with that intensity and continue to get guys back from injury.”

Four different Spartans scored at least nine points Saturday night as the Spartans connected on 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from long range against the Eastern Michigan zone defense. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) led the way with 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half, as he was 5-of-9 from the field and grabbed six rebounds.

Sophomore Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Mich./St. Frances Academy) added 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals on the night, as he was 7-of-10 from the free throw line. Senior Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added nine points as he was 3-of-5 from 3-point land while sophomore Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) added nine points on 3-of-11 shooting form distance.

Eastern Michigan connected on 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field and hit 35 percent (7-of-20) from long range in the victory. The Eagles were strong from the free throw line hitting 17-of-19 (89.5%) while also holding a 37-31 advantage on the glass. Raven Lee led EMU with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting while Mike Talley added 17 points off the bench. Karrington Ward finished with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Spartans came out of the gate quickly and had early success against the EMU zone taking a quick 8-6 lead. Saddler started the scoring off with an old-fashioned 3-point play while Paulos nailed a 3-pointer in the corner.

Eastern Michigan responded with seven straight points to take a 13-8 lead and force the Spartans into a timeout. Raven Lee was the offense early for the Eagles as he scored eight early points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Spartans pulled within five at 24-19 with 3:59 left when Saddler hit a pair of free throws but those would be the final points of the half for the Spartans. EMU closed the half on a 6-0 run to take a 30-19 lead into the locker room.

The Spartans connected on just 24 percent (6-of-25) from the field against the zone and hit just 2-of-8 (25%) from long range. Saddler led the way with seven points as six different Spartans scored in the opening half. Eastern Michigan connected on just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field and 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from long range in the half. The Eagles controlled the glass with a 22-17 advantage, including eight offensive rebounds while getting to the free throw line 10 times in the half.

The Spartans came out of the break and opened with an 8-2 run to pull within five at 32-27. Byrd was the spark as he nailed two early 3-pointers in the second half. EMU responded with a quick 5-0 spurt before the Spartans came back to narrow the gap to 39-34. Junior Ben Dickinson (Alexandria, Va./Loyola Marymount) scored four straight points in the spurt while sophomore Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) made hustle plays on back-to-back possessions to spark the Spartans.

Eastern Michigan responded with a 23-9 run to take a 62-43 lead and looked like it had put the game away. Lee led the way with 10 points in the run, including his fourth 3-pointer, while Ward added eight points in the spurt.

The Spartans did not back down though as they posted a 14-2 run to trim the deficit to 64-57 and force the Eagles into a timeout. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) started the run as he scored in the paint while Paulos nailed a three-pointer along with junior Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Lees-McRae). Locke and Saddler both scored on consecutive possessions as the Spartans narrowed the gap. Eastern Michigan was able to hold of the Spartans' momentum as Talley hit four straight free throws and Lee scored in transition to seal the victory.

-UNCG-