CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The UNCG men's basketball team went toe-to-toe against Southern Conference co-leader Chattanooga Saturday night on the road before falling 81-72 to the Mocs in the hotly contested affair at McKenzie Arena.

The Spartans played one of their best all-around games of league play as they connected on 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the field and 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from long range. UNCG also won the battle of the glass with a 37-34 advantage, including 10 offensive rebounds. The Spartans out-scored the Mocs 36-26 in the paint, despite battling foul trouble on the front line throughout the game.

The Spartans held the Mocs to 47.1 percent (24-of-51) shooting from the field and 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from long range. The biggest disparity of the game came at the free throw line as Chattanooga went to the line 38 times, compared to just 13 attempts for the Spartans. The Mocs out-scored UNCG 24-7 at the charity stripe as they hit 63.2 percent of their free throws.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) led four Spartans in double figures with a game-high 22 points in 32 minutes of action. Saddler connected on 9-of-16 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 12 points, seven assists, two blocks and two steals in the loss.

Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 31 minutes of action. Freshman guard Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) had a career-high night off the bench as he just missed a double-double. Smith scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added nine points and eight rebounds as he played a game-high 38 minutes.

Greg Pryor led Chattanooga with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Justin Tuoyo fell just shy of a double-double for the Mocs with 18 points and nine rebounds as he was 10-of-15 from the free throw line.

The two teams traded baskets in the early going as each was looking to set the pace. The Spartans took an early 14-9 lead as Paulos hit his first two 3-pointers. The Mocs took away the Spartans' lead and tied the game at 16-16 as Eric Robertson came off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers.

The Spartans kept attacking and held a 28-26 lead as Saddler scored 10 points in the early going. UNCG held the two-point lead at 35-33 as Smith provided the Spartans a spark off the bench, scoring nine points in the first half.

Chattanooga responded and closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 44-37 lead into the locker room. Martynas Bareika led the charge for the Mocs as he scored 12 in the first half on the strength of three 3-pointers while Robertson added 11 points off the bench. Chattanooga connected on 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field and hit 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from long range.

UNCG connected on 48.5 percent (16-of-33) from the field but hit just 2-of-7 (28.6%) from long range. The Spartans controlled the glass in the opening half with a 20-13 edge as they out-scored the Mocs 11-3 on second-chance points. Saddler led with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting while Smith added nine and Paulos chipped in six points.

The Spartans came out of the halftime break and posted a 9-0 run to take a 46-44 lead. Saddler started the run with a 3-pointer in the corner before R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) hit a free throw and Locke scored in the paint. Paulos gave the Spartans the lead as he nailed his third 3-pointer of the game.

Chattanooga answered back with six straight points to retake the lead at 50-46. Tuoyo started the spurt by converting a 3-point play, while Pryor added a deep 3-pointer. The Spartans came back and tied the game at 52-52 as Saddler was able to get the basket against the Chattanooga defense.

Chattanooga came back and took a seven-point lead at 63-56, but the Spartans did not wilt and came right back to trim the deficit to three at 63-60. Locke gave the Spartans a spark as he scored on back-to-back possessions when Chattanooga went to the zone defense.

The Mocs extended again to seven at 67-60 but the Spartans came back and trimmed it to three at 68-65. Baldwin scored five straight points for the Spartans and had another chance to pull closer, but was called for an offensive foul on the possession.

UNCG kept battling and put the pressure on the Mocs as the Spartans kept answering Chattanooga's points with points of their own. The Spartans pulled within four points at 74-70 when Saddler scored off a drive with 1:41 remaining. UNCG forced the Mocs into an errant 3-pointer but Chattanooga grabbed the offensive rebound and Pryor hit a jumper to extend the lead. The Mocs were able to seal the victory at the free throw line, hitting five out of their last six from the stripe while the Spartans missed a couple of shots in the final possessions.

The Spartans return to action Thursday night as they host the other SoCon co-leader when Wofford comes to town. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

-UNCG-