GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team hits the road Saturday, travelling to the Palmetto State for a non-conference matinee game against Presbyterian. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Templeton Center in Clinton. The game will be video streamed for free by the Big South Digital Network with links at www.uncgspartans.com. Additionally, the game will be radio broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and the TuneIn App online with Scott Pryzwansky providing the call.
The Spartans opened the season with a 76-62 victory over Chowan but have dropped six straight games, with all but one of their losses coming by single digits. UNCG has been short-handed for the entire season as it has only dressed eight scholarship players and 10 total players this year due to injuries to five guards. The Spartans have had to rely on their starting five, which has combined to averaged 62.8 points and 21.7 rebounds per game this season. Conversely, the UNCG bench has added just 9.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as the starters have played 76.7 percent of the team's minutes through the first seven games.
All five of the Spartans' starters this season are averaging double figures. Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game while also grabbing 4.9 rebounds per game. Saddler also leads the team with 30 assists, 16 steals and 48 free throw attempts. Redshirt sophomore center RJ White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 7.0 rebounds per game. White is shooting 57.4 percent (39-of-68) from the field and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from 3-point land, but only connecting on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) will be playing in his 100th career game for the Spartans Saturday as he played in 29 games as a freshman, 31 as a sophomore, 32 as a junior and the first seven this year. Paulos is averaging 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while leading the team with 22 3-pointers. On his career, he is fifth all-time in program history with 193 3-pointers made and has scored 760 total points.
Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is third on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game and grabs 4.3 caroms per contest. Sophomore guard Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) rounds out the Spartans in double figures scoring at 10.1 points per game. Byrd is second on the team with 20 3-pointers made, hitting at 37.1 percent.
Saturday's game marks the second meeting all-time between UNCG and Presbyterian after the teams met last year in Greensboro. In that game, Presbyterian jumped out to a 15-point first half lead on its way to an 87-66 victory over the Spartans. The Spartans connected on just 35.3 percent (24-of-68) from the field in the loss while also committing 15 turnovers and being out-scored in the paint 40-28. Presbyterian conversely was strong from the field, hitting 63 percent (29-of-46) and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from long range.
Paulos led the Spartans with 22 points and seven rebounds as he was 6-of-12 from long distance but was the only Spartan to score more than 10 points. Former Spartan Kyle Cain posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Downing led Presbyterian with 37 points as he was 11-of-15 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Presbyterian enters Saturday's game with a 3-5 overall record, including a 3-0 mark at home in Clinton. The Blue Hose have won three games against non-NCAA Division I programs in Piedmont College, Toccoa Falls and Bob Jones. Presbyterian has lost all five NCAA Division I games this season to Duke, American, Morehead State, Louisiana Tech and most recently Wofford.
The Blue Hose are averaging 57.1 points per game and allowing 67.2 points per game. Presbyterian is shooting 42.6 percent (178-of-418) from the field and just 29.5 percent (36-of-122) from 3-point land. Downing leads the Blue Hose in scoring at 17.1 points per game and has taking more than double the number of shots this season (116) than the next closest teammate (50). William Truss is second on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 7.3 rebounds per game.
DeSean Murray played the first two games of the season and averaged 13.0 points per game. Murray suffered an injury in the second game and is not expected to play this weekend. Additionally, the Blue Hose's second leading scorer from last year, Reggie Dillard, suffered a season-ending injury prior to the year.
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