CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns to action for its second straight road game in 48 hours as the Spartans make the trip to Cullowhee, N.C., for a Southern Conference meeting against Western Carolina. Game time Saturday is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Center. The game will be aired on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App nationally while also being broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and the TuneIn App with Jack Condon providing the call.

Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) enters Saturday's game ranked eighth in NCAA Division I basketball with 51 3-pointers made. Paulos shooting 44.3 percent from long range this year, which ranks third best in the country among players with at least 50 3-pointers. Additionally, he has been the Spartans' Iron Man this year as he leads the team and the SoCon with 621 minutes played in 17 games. He ranks third nationally in total minutes played in NCAA Division I rankings, trailing only Kahlil Felder of Oakland (629 in 16 games) and Marcus Keene of Youngstown State (623 in 18 games). Paulos is fourth on the team in scoring this year, averaging 10.8 points and adding 4.0 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) leads the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games. Saddler also leads the team with 65 assists, 30 steals and 96 free throw attempts. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and second on the team on the glass, grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. Locke has scored in double figures in six out of the last seven games, averaging 15.3 points in those games during the stretch.

Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. White is shooting 54.2 percent (83-of-153) from the field and leads the team on the glass grabbing 6.8 rebounds per game and leads the SoCon with five double-doubles. Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) chips in 9.8 points per game after missing the first eight games due to injury.

Western Carolina enters Saturday's game with a 7-9 overall record and a 2-2 mark in Southern Conference play. The Catamounts had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 66-60 loss at Chattanooga Thursday. Prior to the loss to the Mocs, WCU won games against UNC Asheville, St. Catherine, The Citadel and Furman. Western Carolina is 4-1 at home this season, with its lone loss to Wright State.

James Sinclair leads the Catamounts in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Sinclair also leads the team with 53 steals, is second on the glass at 5.3 rebounds per game and leads the team with 33 steals. He has hit 24-of-77 (31.2%) from 3-point land. Rhett Harrelson is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game. Harrelson leads the team with 51 3-pointers, hitting at a 42.9 percent clip.

Mike Brown is third on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and has hit 23 3-pointers. Forward Torrion Brummitt wraps up the starters in double figures at 11.4 points per game while leading the team on the glass with 6.4 rebounds per game.

Saturday's game marks the 45th meeting all-time between UNCG and Western Carolina. The Spartans trail the all-time series by a 16-28 margin and have lost five straight to the Catamounts. In fact, UNCG has dropped 13 out of the last 14 meetings against Western Carolina with the lone victory coming with an 89-86 overtime win in 2012. The Spartans' last win in Cullowhee came February 21, 2008 with a 74-62 victory as UNCG has dropped its last six meetings at the Ramsey Center.

Last year, Western Carolina swept the regular season series with a 72-51 victory in Cullowhee and an 82-77 overtime win in Greensboro. Former Spartan Kyle Cain paced UNCG with 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game against the Catamounts while Locke averaged 12.0 points per game. Former Catamount Brandon Boggs averaged 17.0 points per game for WCU against the Spartans while Trey Sumler averaged 14.5 points.

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