GREENVILLE, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team saw a 14-point second half lead get chipped away as the Spartans suffered a 71-64 loss to Southern Conference foe Furman Thursday night at Timmons Arena. Furman closed the game on a 38-14 run, aided in large part to a 32-12 advantage in free throw attempts on the night as UNCG falls to 1-3 in league play and the Paladins improve to 2-3.

It was a tale of two different games as the Spartans out-scored Furman 34-25 in the first half when they shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field compared to just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) shooting for the Paladins in the opening session. Furman out-scored the Spartans 46-30 in the second half when it shot 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from the field compared to just 32.4 percent (12-of-37) for the Spartans. Additionally, the Paladins finished the night shooting 24-of-32 (75%) from the free throw line, including 25 attempts in the second half, compared to just 6-of-12 (50%) for the Spartans at the charity stripe.

Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) led three Spartans in double figures with 16 points in 32 minutes of action as he was 8-of-18 from the field. Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) added 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes of action as he ended the night shooting 6-of-18 from the field. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) rounded out the Spartan scorers with 11 points and five rebounds but was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

Sibley led Furman with a career-high 21 points, all coming in the second half as he was 5-of-9 from the field and 9-of-13 from the free throw line. Acox posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds while Geoff Beans added 15 points.

The Spartans started strongly, opening up to an early 11-5 lead. Locke scored four points working in the paint while sophomore guard Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C../East Burke) hit a 3-pointer after the Spartans broke the Furman press.

The Paladins slowly started to chip away at the deficit and pulled within one at 19-18 as Daniel Fowler hit a 3-pointer and Croone scored on a fast break. The Spartans responded to the adversity with a 9-0 spurt to take a 28-18 lead. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) hit a 3-pointer after Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) broke the Furman press while Saddler scored on back-to-back possessions.

The Spartans took a 34-25 lead into the locker room as Baldwin scored off a drive in the closing seconds of the half. The Spartans connected on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field and hit 3-of-5 (60%) from 3-point land in the opening 20 minutes. Saddler led with nine points while Byrd and White added six points of his own.

Furman was limited to just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) shooting from the field and 3-of-12 (25%) from long range in the first half. The Paladins were able to limit the deficit to just nine points at the break due in large part to six offensive rebounds as they held a slim 17-16 edge on the glass. Geoff Beans led the Paladins with eight points while Kris Acox added seven points and six rebounds off the bench.

The Spartans opened the second half on a 7-2 run to take a 41-27 lead just under two minutes into the second half. Saddler opened the half converting a 3-point play while White connected on a trail 3-pointer. After UNCG held  47-33 lead, Furman posted an 11-4 run to narrow the gap to seven at 51-44. Sibley was the catalyst as he scored seven points in the run.

After Locke slowed the momentum with a basket in the paint, Furman turned in an 11-2 run to tie the game at 55-55 with 6:48 remaining. Sibley kept his hot streak going, scoring six points in the run while Beans nailed a 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down.

White gave the Spartans their final lead of the night with a basket at 5:41 making it a 57-55 lead but he quickly picked up his fifth foul to sway the momentum back in Furman's favor. The Paladins took the lead for good with nine unanswered to take a 64-57 lead. The Spartans tried to rally in the final minute, trimming the deficit to 67-64 with 14 seconds remaining on a Locke put back but the Paladins hit their free throws to seal the victory.

The Spartans continue their two-game road swing Saturday as they travel to Cullowhee, N.C., for a meeting against league foe Western Carolina. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN3.

-UNCG-