GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team begins a three-game home stretch with a New Year's Eve matinee game against NCAA Division II opponent Mars Hill in its final non-conference game of the year. The game will be played on campus at Fleming Gymnasium with a 2 p.m. tip-off. The game will be video streamed online in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network while also being radio broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and the TuneIn app with Scott Pryzwansky providing the call.
The Spartans have dropped three straight games entering Wednesday's contest, with losses to North Carolina, Elon and East Carolina. UNCG has seen its offensive production fall during the current skid, averaging just 56.7 points per game while allowing 73.7 points per game against. Prior to their current skid, the Spartans had won three straight games against Presbyterian, Greensboro College and East Tennessee State where they average 72.6 points per game in the victories.
Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. France Academy) leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. Saddler has scored in double figures in nine of 13 games this season but has failed to reach double figures in two out of the last three games, averaging just 9.6 points during the last three games. He leads the team with 50 assists, 23 steals and 78 free throw attempts.
Classmate Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) has returned to the floor after missing the first eight games of the year. Baldwin is averaging 10.4 points per game in his first five games this season, including a career-high 19 points at East Carolina Sunday while also notching a career-high six steals. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game while also ranking second on the team on the glass, grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) leads the team and the Southern Conference on the glass, grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game while averaging 11.5 points per game. White leads the SoCon with five double-double this season. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) also averages 11.5 points per game but does his damage from the outside. Paulos leads the team with 41 3-pointers as he is shooting 43.2 percent from long range.
Wednesday's game marks just the second meeting all-time between UNCG and Mars Hill. The Spartans picked up a 71-57 victory over the Lions November 28, 1987 on a neutral court at the Lenoir-Rhyne Tournament.
Mars Hill enters Wednesday's game with a 7-4 record on the year with losses to Lincoln Memorial, Catawba, Wingate and most recently Pfeiffer. The Lions also played Winthrop this year, dropping a 96-51 contest in an exhibition game in December. Wednesday's game also counts as an exhibition game for the Lions as it does not reflect on their won-loss record.
Mars Hill is averaging 76.1 points per game while allowing 70.4 points per game. The Lions are averaging 8.4 3-pointers per game, hitting 35.1 percent from distance. Patrick Monroe leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and has hit 30 3-pointers. Michael Carson is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game, despite making just one start. Isaiah Cuthbertson leads the team on the glass at 8.9 rebounds per game while adding 9.9 points per game.
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