GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team fell to 1-1 in Southern Conference play Saturday as the Spartans suffered a 76-55 loss to league newcomer and 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Mercer at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans will look to rebound for their first league loss in less than 48 hours as they host The Citadel in SoCon action Monday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Spartans' defense was unable to corral the Bears as Mercer connected on 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field and hit 11-of-20 (55%) from long range. Mercer also took advantage of 13 UNCG miscues turning them into 21 points. UNCG was solid offensively hitting 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field and out-scoring the Bears 36-22 in the paint. The Spartans were held in check from the perimeter though as they hit just 2-of-7 (28.6%) despite entering the game averaging 7.0 made 3-pointers per game.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) led three Spartans in double figures with a game-high 20 points while also grabbing six rebounds and notching four steals. Saddler finished the night shooting 9-of-18 from the field for his fourth game this season with at least 20 points. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added 14 points and five rebounds as he was 7-of-11 from the field, scoring 10 points after the break.

Ike Nwamu led the Bears with 15 points, 13 in the second half as he was 4-of-10 from the field, including three 3-pointers. Jibri Bryan posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds while Darious Moten added 14 points for Mercer.

Mercer (7-8, 209 SoCon) came out of the gate quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the game as the Spartans misfired on their first six shots from the field. Bryan scored five early in the fast start, including a 3-pointer from the corner. The Spartans started to settle in and slowly chipped away at the deficit, posting an 8-3 run to make it a 13-8 contest. Locke scored in the paint while Saddler scored on consecutive possessions.

The Spartans (5-10, 1-1 SoCon) pulled within one at 18-17 as senior Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) got his lone look of the half and buried a 3-pointer. UNCG came all the way back and tied the game at 23-23 when Saddler hit one of two free throws but Mercer closed the half on a 10-2 run to take a 33-25 lead into the locker room.

The Spartans connected on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the field but hit just 1-of-3 (33.3%) from long range. Mercer hit a similar percentage from the field in the first half at 43.5% (10-of-23) but connected on 5-of-10 (50%) from long range. Saddler led UNCG with nine points while sophomore Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added seven points.

Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) was limited to just two points as he only played four first half minutes due to foul trouble. Moten led Mercer with nine points while Bryan added eight points and seven rebounds.

The Spartans came out of the halftime break and traded baskets back and forth before narrowing the gap to six points at 39-33 as Saddler scored on a drive. Mercer kept increasing its lead though, posting a 20-10 run to extend the advantage to 69-43 with 11:54 remaining. Nwamu did the damage as he scored 13 points during the run, including hitting three 3-pointers.

The Spartans had one final push, narrowing the gap to 61-48 as Saddler again got into the paint, but Mercer closed the door with nine straight points as Stephon Jelks came off the bench and score seven points in the spurt.

Baldwin rounded out the Spartans in double figures with 12 points as he was 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. White was limited to just four points as he played only 17 minutes due to foul trouble while Paulos was held to five points on just three field goal attempts.

The Spartans return to action Monday night as they host The Citadel in SoCon action. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

-UNCG-