GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns to action after an eight-day layoff Thursday as the Spartans make their longest Southern Conference trip of the year traveling to Samford. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Pete Hanna Center. The game will be video streamed online for free in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network and will be broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and via the TuneIn App with Scott Pryzwansky providing the call.

The Spartans have been off since last Wednesday when they posted a 75-63 victory over visiting VMI. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) led the way with a game-high 19 points while grabbing eight rebounds. He connected on 9-of-16 from the field in 34 minutes of action. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) grabbed a career-high 14 points and scored nine points in the victory while senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added 16 points.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) has missed the last two games due to a knee injury and is listed as day-to-day for the game. Saddler leads the Spartans in scoring at 15.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in 14 of 17 games this year, including five games with at least 20 points.

Locke is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and second on the team on the glass at 5.6 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in 14 of 19 games this year, including six straight games of at least 13 points when he has been averaging 16.3 points per game.

White is third on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 7.4 rebounds per game. He has posted six double-doubles this year and is shooting 53.5 percent (91-of-170) from the field. Paulos is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent (56-of-134) from 3-point land this season.  Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) rounds out the Spartans' in double figures scoring at 10.2 points per game while ranking second on the team with 35 assists. 

Samford enters Thursday's game with a 7-14 overall record and an 0-8 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs have dropped six straight games and are 5-4 this season at home at the Pete Hanna Center. Samford has posted home wins this year against Austin Peay, Jacksonville, Louisiana-Monroe, Campbell and Auburn-Montgomery. The Bulldogs are averaging 67.3 points per game while allowing 72.1 points per game against.

Darius Jones-Gibson leads the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. Jones-Gibson has gone to the free throw line a team-high 124 times, connecting on 74 (59.7%). He leads the team with 25 steals and grabs 3.1 rebounds per game ... Tyler Hood is second on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game. Hood has connected on 44 3-pointers this year to lead the team, hitting 39.6 percent from long range. Michael Bradley leads the team on the glass at 5.1 rebounds per game while Christen Cunningham leads the team with 87 assists.

Thursday's game marks the 14th meeting all-time between UNCG and Samford dating back to January 23, 1992. The Spartans trail the all-time series by a 5-8 margin. UNCG has dropped back-to-back games to the Bulldogs but has won four out of the last six meetings.

Last year, the teams only met once due to the Southern Conference unbalanced schedule. Samford posted an 88-78 victory in Birmingham as it opened to a 43-33 first half lead. The Bulldogs connected on 58.8 percent (30-of-51) from the field and 60 percent (6-of-10) from 3-point land while the Spartans hit just 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field and just 25 percent (4-of-16) from long range. Former Spartan Kyle Cain posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Locke added 14 points and Saddler chipped in 13 points. Samford was led by Tim Williams with 29 points and 12 rebounds while Isaiah Williams added 19 points and Raijon Kelly chipped in 18 points.

The Spartans last picked up a win over Samford Jan. 24, 2013 with a 66-64 victory at the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG last won in Birmingham February 9, 2012 with a 71-69 victory at the Pete Hanna Center.

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