GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team opened the second half of Southern Conference play Saturday night as the Spartans dropped a hard fought 78-73 contest to visiting Western Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum. The game marked the second meeting this season against the Catamounts and begins a stretch of nine straight games seeing an opponent for the second time this year in a home-and-home series.

“We had ourselves in another position to win and it is unfortunate we weren't able to be on the winning side tonight,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We have been close and we have found ourselves on the wrong side consistently. That is frustrating for our players and our staff. Give Western Carolina a lot of credit as they made big plays down the stretch.”

The evenly matched game saw comparable numbers across the boards Saturday as UNCG connected on 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field, 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from 3-point land and 70 percent (21-of-30) from the free throw line. Western Carolina finished the night shooting 47.4 percent (27-fo-57) from the field, 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from long distance and 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from the charity stripe.

The Spartans held a 33-29 edge on the glass as well, but lost the turnover battle, committing 14 miscues compared to just seven for the Catamounts. Western Carolina was able to turn those turnovers into 16 points while the Spartans were only able to score 10 points off of turnovers.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) led the Spartans with 18 points and six rebounds but was forced into seven turnovers. Saddler connected on 5-of-9 from the field and hit 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added 13 points as he was 4-of-10 from the field and hit all three free throws.

Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added 12 points in 30 minutes as he was 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Locke's 12 points raises his career total to 983 points, just 17 points shy of becoming the 20^th Spartan all-time in the 1,000-point club.

Sophomore forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) added nine points in his second straight start while classmate Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) also chipped in nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from long range.

James Sinclair led the Catamounts with a game-high 23 points as he was 8-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Mike Brown posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Torrion Brummitt added 14 points and six rebounds.

Western Carolina (11-12, 6-5 SoCon) started quickly on a 12-4 run over the first five-plus minutes. Brummitt scored four points early before Sinclair capped the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play and a 3-pointer the conventional way to give WCU an eight-point lead.

The Spartans settled in and posted an 11-4 run to pull within one at 16-15 with just over 10 minutes gone in the first half. Saddler ignited the run with four quick points before Byrd nailed a 3-pointer in the corner and Kuiper scored three points during the stretch.

The teams traded baskets for the final 10 minutes of the half with UNCG taking its first lead at 20-18 when Byrd hit another 3-pointer. Western Carolina came back and took a 28-24 lead as Rhett Harrelson hit a 3-pointer but the Spartans were able to tie the game at 34-34 with 35 seconds left after Saddler hit two free throws. Sinclair sent the Catamounts into the locker room with a 37-34 lead as he hit a deep 3-pointer as the clock was winding down off a broken play.

The Spartans connected on 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field in the first half and hit 7-of-10 from the free throw line. Saddler led with nine points while Locke added eight and Byrd chipped in six points. UNCG committed eight turnovers in the first half, which WCU turned into eight points. The Catamounts connected on 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. Sinclair led with 12 points while Harrelson added seven.

After WCU took a five-point lead early in the second half at 39-34, the Spartans scored eight straight to go in front 42-39. Kuiper started the run with four straight points in the paint while Byrd hit his third 3-pointer. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added a jumper at the 14:40 mark to keep the Spartans in front 44-41.

Western Carolina answered right back with a 12-2 run to take a 53-46 lead with 11:15 remaining. Sinclair started the run with five straight points before Harrelson hit a 3-pointer off a UNCG turnover. The Spartans came right back with six straight points all from Paulos, including a rare four-point play to make it 53-52 WCU.

The Spartans were unable to overtake the Catamounts though as Western Carolina maintained the lead down the stretch, extending to seven at 73-66 with under a minute to play. Saddler scored on a drive and Paulos hit a pair of free throws to pull within three at 73-70 with 25 seconds remaining. Harrelson hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession but Paulos again stepped up and nailed a 3-pointer to trim the gap to 75-73 with 14 seconds left. The Spartans tried to force a WCU turnover with the press but Brown was able to get behind the defense for a layup, essentially sealing the Catamount victory.

The Spartans return to action Tuesday night as they travel to Lexington, Va., for a meeting against VMI. Game time is set for 8 p.m. and will be aired on the American Sports Network nationally. The Spartans defeated the Keydets 75-63 in the meeting earlier this year in Greensboro.

-UNCG-