GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the second time in eight days, the UNCG men's basketball team found itself tied with an Atlantic Coast Conference foe with under four minutes to play as the Spartans rallied from a double-digit second half deficit to tie NC State 46-46 with 3:46 to play before the Wolfpack closed on a 14-6 run to take home a 58-52 victory over the Spartans Tuesday night at PNC Arena. The Spartans will be off until next Monday for the holidays when they play their third game of the year against an ACC foe, meeting North Carolina at the Dean Dome at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

“Hats off to a very talented and tough NC State ball club,” head coach Wes Miller said. “Obviously I am not pleased with the result, but I am really proud of my guys and the way we fought. We had some trouble scoring tonight but we didn't let shots not falling effect us. We kept competing and stuck together to make a run with some big plays on both ends.”

Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) paced the Spartans' attack with 13 points while also grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out four assists and posting two steals. Baldwin scored 10 of his points in the second half, igniting the Spartans' rally. Freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) made his first appearance in his hometown and added nine points and four assists off the bench, hitting 3-of-6 from distance.

UNCG finished the game shooting just 35 percent (21-of-60) from the field and only 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from 3-point land in the loss but battled for every possession with the Wolfpack. The Spartans won the rebounding battle against the bigger Wolfpack by a 40-38 margin, including grabbing 13 offensive rebounds. Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) grabbed seven rebounds in the loss while adding 11 points as he was 5-of-10 from the field.

NC State fared only slightly better, shooting 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field and just 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from long range. The Wolfpack were also only 13-of-26 (50%) from the free throw line on the night. Anthony Barber led the Wolfpack with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting while Abdul-Malik Abu added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

“We have had a tremendous amount of adversity in the early part of the season but we just keep getting better each day,” Miller said.  “This team is showing a lot of heart over the last few games, coming together as a unit. I am proud of my guys and I am excited for our team heading into Southern Conference play.”

NC State took an early lead on the Spartans 6-3, but both teams struggled from the field in the early going, combining for just a 2-of-12 start together. Barber led the Wolfpack to a 17-13 lead just over 12 minutes into the game as he scored eight points early, including a pair of 3-ointers.

The Spartans slowed down the Wolfpack and went inside to tie the game at 17-17. Junior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball) and White scored on back-to-back possessions. NC State was able to cling to a 20-18 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. The Spartans shot just 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from the field in the first half while only going to the free throw line twice. NC State conversely connected on 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the field in the first half, out-scoring UNCG 10-4 in the paint.

NC State opened the second half on an 11-4 run to take a 31-22 lead just over five minutes into the half. BeeJay Anya gave the Wolfpack a spark in the second half, scoring four straight points before Barber posted a steal and a fast break basket for the nine-point lead.

After a Troy 3-pointer narrowed the gap to 31-25, the Wolfpack were able to extend their lead to a game-high 12 points at 39-27 with 9:49 remaining. Barber scored six points in the 8-2 spurt as NC State looked to end the UNCG threat but the Spartans would not go away.

UNCG answered back with a 13-3 run to pull within two at 44-42 with 4:56 remaining. White gave the Spartans life by converting a 3-point play in the post and Troy spark the run with another 3-pointer. Baldwin started to take over for UNCG, scoring five straight in the run, including a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game.

After a pair of free throws by Barber, White scored in the paint before Baldwin scored on a drive down the lane to tie the game at 46-46 with 3:46 remaining to force NC State into a timeout. Abu and Barber scored on two straight possessions to push the lead back to four but White scored in the pair and Baldwin poked the ball away from Barber for a steal. He was fouled on the fast break but was only able to hit one of two free throws to make it a 50-49 contest.

Caleb Martin had perhaps the biggest basket of the night for the Wolfpack, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:20 left for a 53-49 lead. After a NC State basket, Troy nailed his third 3-pointer to pull within three at 55-52 but NC State hit three out of its last four free throws in the final 33 seconds to seal the victory.

The Spartans return to action Dec. 28 when they play their third and final ACC opponent of the year when they travel to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. Game time is set for 6 p.m. and is will be aired nationally on ESPNU.

-UNCG-