ELON, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team was held without a field goal for the final 3:45 of the game as the Spartans dropped a 79-69 contest to Triad rival Elon Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym. The Spartans had pulled within one at 69-68 at the final media timeout but the Phoenix closed the game on a 10-1 run to take home the victory, improving to 8-3 on the year while UNCG falls to 4-7.

The Spartans had four players score in double figures in the loss as they connected on 40 percent (28-of-70) from the field and 35 percent (7-of-20) from long range. Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds while junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half. White finished 5-of-7 from the field but hit just 4-of-7 from the free throw line.

Elon finished the game shooting 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field, including 55.2 percent (16-of-29) in the second half as it out-scored UNCG 45-33 in the second half. The Phoenix connected on 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from 3-point and in the victory and hit 12-of-16 from the free throw line. Elon also dished out 19 assists on its 28 field goals made. Christian Hairston led Elon with 17 points while Tyler Seibring and Steven Santa Ana each scored 13 points.

UNCG opened the game quickly, scoring the first seven points of the afternoon to take a 7-0 lead. Sophomore Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) scored five points in the early going while Baldwin scored off a drive. Elon weathered the early storm and answered back with a 10-0 run to take a 10-7 lead. Hairston converted a 3-point play while Santa Ana hit a long-range shot for the Phoenix.

The Spartans came right back and scored seven straight to take a 14-10 lead. Smith hit another 3-pointer while freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) hit a 3-pointer for the lead. The teams started to trade baskets from this point forward with Elon taking a 24-22 lead as UNCG committed seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game.

The Spartans kept battling and took a 30-27 lead to force Elon into a timeout as they crashed the offensive glass in the first half. Smith scored off a second chance to put the Spartans in front. Elon came back and tied the game at 34-34 on a pair of Hairston free throws but Baldwin sent the Spartans into the locker room with a 36-34 lead with 41.6 seconds remaining, scoring off a drive.

UNCG connected on 42.1 percent (16-of-38) from the field and hit 4-of-10 (40%) from long range in the first half. The Spartans controlled play on the glass, out-rebounding Elon 23-16, including seven offensive rebounds as they scored 11 second-chance points. Smith and Baldwin led the way with 10 points each in the half while Alonso added nine points.

Elon connected on 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the field and hit 6-of-15 (40%) from long range. The Phoenix took advantage of eight UNCG turnovers in the half to scored 15 points off miscues. Hairston led the way with nine points while Santa Ana added eight points off the bench.

Elon came out of the halftime break and pushed it up to a 45-41 lead with a quick 6-0 run. Seibring gave the Phoenix a spark with back-to-back baskets in the paint. Elon continued to pad its lead and took a 64-56 edge with 6:45 remaining as Dmitri Thompson hit a 3-pointer to give the Phoenix its largest lead.

The Spartans showed their fight, posting a 10-3 run to pull within one at 69-68. UNCG went inside to its strength in the post as senior Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) scored four straight and White added four points during the spurt.

After an Elon basket and a White free throw made it a 72-69 game, the Spartans had a chance to pull within one again as Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Lees-McRae) got a steal at midcourt. Lamot drove the floor and went up for the layup but Tanner Samson backtracked and blocked the attempt. Elon quickly corralled the loose ball and found Luke Eddy in the corner who buried a 3-pointer to make it a 75-69 contest with just over a minute to go. Elon would hit free throws down the stretch to take home the 10-point victory.

Alonso finished the game with 11 points in 27 minutes of action while Smith added 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out after just 19 minutes. Locke added nine points and nine rebounds as he was 4-of-12 from the field shooting.

The Spartans return to action Tuesday night as they play their second of three games this year against Atlantic Coast Conference foes when they travel to N.C. State. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the PNC Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.

-UNCG-