BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UNCG men's basketball team returned to the court after an eight-day layoff and suffered an 89-78 Southern Conference loss to Samford Thursday night at the Pete Hanna Center. The Spartans return to action in less than 48 hours as they travel to Chattanooga for a 6 p.m. game on ESPN3.

Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) continued his strong play of late as he led three Spartans in double figures scoring. Locke scored a team-high 19 points in 30 minutes as he was 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) returned to the lineup after missing the last two games and finished with 18 points and six rebounds, despite fouling out after 26 minutes. Saddler scored 14 of his points in the first 11 minutes of the game, finishing 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

The Spartans finished the night shooting 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from long range in the loss. UNCG committed 16 turnovers against the Samford pressure, which the Bulldogs turned into 22 points off of turnovers. Samford finished the night shooting 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the field and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from long range while connecting on 21-of-25 (84%) from the free throw line.

Darius Jones-Gibson led five Bulldogs in double figures in the victory with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Marcus Johnson added 18 points off the bench while Tyler Hood chipped in 15 points and Michael Bradley posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spartans came out of the gate quickly as Saddler returned to the lineup and scored the Spartans' first five points of the game. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added the next five points as UNCG opened to a 10-4 lead. The Spartans extended their lead to 29-21 with 9:14 remaining as Saddler scored 14 points in the early going as he was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field.

Samford went to a zone defense to stop Saddler and that tactic worked as the Bulldogs scored the next 12 points on their way to a 22-6 run to close the half with a 43-35 advantage. Johnson came off the bench for Samford and scored nine points down the stretch, including a 3-pointer on the final possession of the half. Hood added five points during the run while Bradley added six points.

The Spartans connected on 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from long range in the opening half. UNCG committed seven turnovers against the Samford full court press but the Bulldogs turned those miscues into nine points. Saddler led the way with 14 points but none in the final 9:14, while White added seven points. Samford connected on 51.5 percent (17-of-33) from the field and hit 4-of-6 (66.7%) from long range in the half. Johnson led with nine points while Bradley and Hood each added eight points.

The Spartans tried to make a run at the deficit early in the second half as they pulled within five at 49-44. Locke scored on back-to-back possessions while sophomore guard Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) hit a 3-pointer against the zone. UNCG hung around and trailed 59-52 before Samford turned in a quick 7-2 run with the aid of its defense. The Spartans committed back-to-back turnovers while led to four points in less than 20 seconds to extend the lead back to double figures.

The Spartans tried to chip away at the deficit but could not come up with successive stops on the defensive end. UNCG trimmed the deficit to 69-62 when sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) drove the lane and scored but the Spartans again committed turnovers against the press as Samford scored five points in 18 seconds to take it back to a 12-point lead.

The Spartans would be unable to pull any closer than eight points in the closing minutes as Samford hit its free throws down the stretch. Baldwin added 13 points and eight assists in the loss for the Spartans while Byrd finished with eight points. White chipped in nine points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

The Spartans return to action Saturday evening as they travel to Chattanooga. Game time against the Mocs is set for 6 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3 as part of the SoCon television package.

-UNCG-