GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team has gone through the first half of the Southern Conference schedule and the Spartans begin the second half of the slate Saturday evening as they host Western Carolina. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. The game will be streamed in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network for free and will be aired on 1320 AM and the TuneIn App with Scott Pryzwansky and Darryl Kosciak providing the call.
Saturday's game marks the 46th meeting all-time between UNCG and Western Carolina, including the second meeting this season. The Spartans trail the all-time series by a 29-16 margin, including dropping 14 out of the last 15 meetings against the Catamounts. UNCG last picked up a win over Western Carolina in 2012 with an 89-86 overtime win at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Last year, the Spartans suffered a 72-51 loss in Cullowhee and an 82-77 overtime loss at the Greensboro Coliseum. Former Spartan Kyle Cain averaged 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two games while forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) averaged 12.0 points per game.
Earlier this season, the Spartans dropped an 82-72 loss in Cullowhee January 10. Both teams played the first meeting this year without their top scorers as sophomore Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) missed the game due to an injury and WCU senior James Sinclair was out due to an academic reason.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) led the Spartans with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Locke added 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 shooting from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 14 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Mike Brown led the Catamounts with a career-high 27 points and seven rebounds as he was 8-of-12 from the filed and 9-of-14 from the free throw line.
The Spartans enter the game with a 6-16 overall record and a 2-7 mark in SoCon play where they sit in ninth place overall. UNCG is coming off a 58-42 loss to SoCon leader Wofford Thursday night as the Spartans were held to a season-low 42 points and shot a season-low 31.7 percent (19-of-60) from the field.
Saddler leads the team and ranks eighth in the SoCon in scoring at 15.5 points per game, despite being held scoreless for the first time in his career Thursday. Saddler also ranks fifth in the league in assists with 75 and adds 4.6 rebounds per game. Locke is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. He had a string of eight straight games in double figures snapped by the Terriers when he was held to seven points.
White is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game and leads the league on the glass grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. He came off the bench for the first time this season Thursday night, scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds. Baldwin is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and led the Spartans with 11 points against Wofford. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) rounds out the Spartans in double figures at 10.5 points per game and is fifth in the league with 61 3-pointers.
Western Carolina enters Saturday's game with a 10-12 overall record and a 5-5 mark in SoCon play. The Catamounts have dropped three out five games but are coming off an 85-70 victory at VMI Thursday. The win over the Keydets was the Catamounts' first road conference victory in five tries and improved WCU to 3-9 on the year on the road.
Sinclair leads the Catamounts in scoring and ranks third in the SoCon at 19.0 points per game. He also leads the team with 72 assists and 41 steals while he has connected on 31 3-pointers. Rhett Harrelson is second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game, which ranks 10th in the league. Harrelson is second in the league with 66 3-pointers and is shooting 41 percent from long range. Mike Brown is third on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game while Torrion Brummitt rounds out the double figure scorers at 11.0 points per game.
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