GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack Saturday night as the Spartans pulled away from visiting Belmont Abbey 84-61 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The victory improves the Spartans to 4-5 on the year as they prepare for a stretch of games where they play three of their next four games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) led four in double figures with a game-high 14 points, all of which came in the first half. Sophomore Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) and senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) each added 13 points in the victory.

The Spartans finished the night shooting 50.8 percent (32-of-63) from the field and hit 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from 3-point land. UNCG also dished out a season-high 22 assists on its 32 made field goals with freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) leading the way with six and junior Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) adding five helpers.

Belmont Abbey finished the night shooting 41.8 percent (23-of-55) from the field and 35 percent (7-of-20) from 3-point land in the loss. The Crusaders committed 20 turnovers Saturday and only had two players in double figures scoring with Deion Lane scoring a team-high 13 points.

The Spartans opened the game to an 11-6 advantage as they hit from the outside early against the Belmont Abbey zone. Smith hit his first two 3-pointers while Alonso nailed a 3-pointer off a pass from junior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy).

The Spartans continued to add to their lead, taking a 26-15 lead by scoring six straight points in the paint. Locke scored four straight points before junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) put home a dunk for the double-digit lead. The Spartans were able to pad their lead and head into the locker room with a 40-24 lead.

UNCG connected on 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field and hit 6-of-12 (50%) from long range in the first half. Alonso led the way with 14 points as he hit his first four 3-pointers while White added 10 points and five rebounds. Troy dished out five assists in the first half while UNCG finished with 12 assists on 16 baskets. Belmont Abbey was held to 36 percent (9-of-25) shooting from the field and just 1-of-8 (12.5%) from distance in the half.

The Spartans came out slowly in the second half but held a 55-38 lead just over five minutes in the half when Locke hit a 3-pointer. Belmont Abbey scored seven straight points to narrow the gap to 55-45 as Drexler Clark hit a 3-pointer for the Crusaders.

UNCG kept Belmont Abbey at bay and ended any doubt in the contest with a 13-3 lead to extend the lead to 20-plus points at 76-52. Smith was the catalyst for the Spartans, scoring seven points during the run while Kuiper gave them a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor.

White finished with 12 points and six rebounds as he was 5-of-6 from the field. Troy and Baldwin each added eight points in the victory to go along with their high assist totals.

The Spartans return to action Tuesday night as they play the first of three games this month against Atlantic Coast Conference foes when they travel to Wake Forest. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.

-UNCG-