GREENVILLE, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returned from an eight-day layoff for the holiday break Sunday and suffered a 71-50 loss to East Carolina at Minges Coliseum. The Spartans will return home to Greensboro for three straight games, beginning with their final non-conference game of the year, hosting Mars Hill Dec. 31 at Fleming Gymnasium.

Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) was the lone Spartan to score in double figures in the loss. Baldwin finished the game with a career-high 19 points, six steals and three assists in 35 minutes of action as he made his first start of the season. He finished the game 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added nine points and eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action. Sophomore Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) chipped in eight points and four assists while classmate Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) added six points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.

East Carolina (7-6) was led by Florida State transfer Terry Whisnant, who scored 17 points and dished out six assists. Caleb White added 14 points while Michel Nzege chipped in 12 points for the Pirates.

UNCG connected on 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the field and just 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from long range in the loss. The Spartans held a 33-30 edge on the glass, including 14 offensive rebounds, but were just 4-of-10 from the free throw line. UNCG also was called for 26 fouls on the night as its two starting post players fouled out after 41 minutes of action combined.

East Carolina finished the night shooting 57.5 percent (23-of-40) from the field, 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from 3-point land and hit 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Pirates came out of the gate quickly, soring the first seven points of the game as they scored four points in the paint and White added an early 3-pointer to force a timeout. The Spartans started to settle in and narrowed the gap to three at 16-13 with 12:53 remaining. Kuiper scored four straight points and Paulos nailed a 3-pointer to slow the ECU start.

East Carolina came back and finished the half out-scoring the Spartans 29-13 over the final 12:53 of the first half. The Pirates connected on 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from the field, 75 percent (3-of-4) from 3-point land and hit 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the free throw line as they held a 19-point lead at the break. UNCG conversely connected on 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from the field and just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from long range.

The Pirates opened the second half on a 12-4 run to run their lead to 57-30 with 14:10 remaining. Whisnant and Antonio Robinson hit back-to-back 3-pointers during the early going of the half to ignite the office. The Spartans made a small run in the second half, trimming the deficit to 63-48 with 6:21 left as they posted an 18-6 run. Baldwin scored seven points in the run, including the capping 3-pointer, while Saddler added six points in the spurt.

The Spartans return home for the first of three straight games Wednesday as they host Mars Hill on a New Year's Eve matinee. The game will be played on campus at Fleming Gymnasium with a 2 p.m. tip-off.

-UNCG-