GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team dropped its first game of the Spartan Showcase Friday night as the Spartans fell 70-66 to Navy at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans return to action Saturday evening in the second game of the event where they will face IPFW at 7 p.m.

The Spartans connected on 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field but hit 14-of-31 (45.2%) from long range in the loss. Navy conversely connected on 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field and went to the free throw line 21 times compared to just six attempts for the Spartans.

Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) scored a career-high 15 points off the bench in the loss as he hit a career-high 5-of-7 from 3-point land. Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists while sophomore Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) added 11 points in 29 minutes.

Tilman Dunbar led Navy (4-2) with a game-high 16 points as he was 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Will Kelly added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field while Shawn Anderson added 14 point and four assists.

The Spartans opened the game and took an early 14-10 lead as Smith and Baldwin hit early 3-pointers to get UNCG going from the outside. Navy responded with a 14-0 run to take a 24-14 lead and force the Spartans into a timeout. Kelly scored six straight points for the Midshipmen while Kendall Knorr and Tim Abruzzo hit 3-pointers during the run.

The Spartans had an answer, posting a 7-2 run to pull within five at 26-21. Junior Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) ignited the charge with a 3-pointer while junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) scored in the paint. The run was short-lived though as Navy extended its lead back to double figures at 32-21. The Midshipmen took advantage of six UNCG turnovers in the first 15 minutes and also hit 60.9 percent from the field up to that point.

UNCG made a 12-2 run to close the first half and headed into the locker room trailing by only one at 34-33. Alonso was the catalyst, hitting a pair of free throws while Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) and Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) scored in the paint.

The Spartans connected on 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the field and hit 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from long range in the first half. Smith led nine Spartan scorers in the first half with eight points while Alonso chipped in six points. Navy connected on 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field in the first half as Kelly led the way with eight points.

Navy scored the first four points of the second half to take a 38-33 lead but the Spartans answered back with five straight to tie the game at 38-38 as White nailed a 3-pointer. UNCGS took a 44-43 lead as Locke converted a 3-point play with a monstrous dunk and a free throw.

The teams went back-and-forth trading the lead down the stretch with UNCG taking a 58-56 lead with 4:59 left as Alonso hit a 3-pointer. The Spartans were never able to extend their lead down the stretch as a pair of UNCG turnovers led to Navy retaking the lead for good at 62-60 with 59 seconds remaining. The Midshipmen were able to preserve the victory at the free throw line in the final minute as Dunbar did most of the damage keep the Spartans at bay.

Freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) made his collegiate debut Friday after sitting out the first three games awaiting NCAA clearance. Troy played nine minutes off the bench and scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting from long range.

In the first game of the Spartan Showcase, IPFW posted a 71-63 victory over Jacksonville. Jacksonville and Navy will meet in the first game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. followed by the Spartans and IPFW at 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

-UNCG-