GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team suffered a 58-42 loss to Southern Conference leader Wofford Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans return to action in less than 48 hours as they host Western Carolina Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

“You have to give a ton of credit to Wofford,” head coach Wes Miller said. “That's a really good basketball club and you can see why they have had so much success this year and why they won the league last year. They made us look bad, especially after the first 8-9 minutes of the game. We don't have time to sit here and feel bad for ourselves though, as we have to turn around and prepare for a game less than 48 hours away against Western Carolina.”

The Spartans were held to a season-low 42 points in the loss as the Terriers brought the league's top defense into the contest. UNCG connected on just 31.7 percent (19-of-60) from the field and just 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from long range. Wofford conversely connected on 60 percent (21-of-35) from the field and went to the free throw line 27 times, compared to just eight times for the Spartans.

Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) was the lone Spartan in double figures in the loss with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench while junior Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) chipped in seven points and six assists.

Spencer Collins led the Terriers with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the free throw line. Lee Skinner added 12 points and six rebounds while Karl Cochran tallied 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting.

The Spartans (6-16, 2-7 SoCon) came out of the gate quickly opening to a 12-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Baldwin scored the Spartans' first bucket while senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) hit an early 3-pointer. White came off the bench for the first time this season and scored four straight points to give the Spartans a double-digit lead.

Wofford settled in and posted eight straight points to narrow the gap to 12-10 as UNCG went 6:04 without a basket. Collins started the run by hitting a jumper that ignited the Terriers' offense while Skinner scored in the paint to make it a one-possession game.

After the Spartans held a 16-15 lead, Wofford posted a 15-4 run to take a 30-20 lead with under a minute to play. Collins scored six points in the run while the Terriers had six different players score during the stretch as they were able to get out in transition on the Spartans. Freshman Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) scored on an offensive put-back on the last possession to send the Spartans into the locker room trailing 30-22.

The Spartans connected on 32.3 percent (10-of-31) from the field in the first half and only hit 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from long range in the half, missing their final six from distance. Baldwin led UNCG with seven points while White added six points. Wofford hit 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the field in the opening 20 minutes as Collins tallied eight points and Jaylen Allen added six points off the bench.

UNCG started the second half much like the first, posting a 6-2 run to pull within four at 32-28. Baldwin scored four points in the early going while sophomore forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) scored in the paint while making his first career start.

Smith nailed a 3-pointer at the 16:21 mark to trim the gap to 34-31 but Wofford answered with a 12-1 run to take a 46-32 lead. Skinner scored four points in the run while Collins hit a 3-pointer as UNCG missed six straight shots from the field and committed a turnover.

The Spartans slowed the pace and put together a 6-1 spurt to narrow the deficit to 47-38. Locke, Kuiper and White scored on three straight possessions as the Spartans looked to go inside against the Terriers. Wofford was undaunted as it posted an 11-2 run to end any doubt in the contest and improve to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in league play.

Paulos finished the night with seven points and six rebounds as he was held to just 3-of-10 shooting form the field. Smith added five points off the bench while Kuiper chipped in four points in his first career start.

The Spartans wrap up their home week Saturday evening as they host Western Carolina. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum and will be the second of a home-and-home series against the Catamounts this year.

-UNCG-