CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule Monday night as the Spartans suffered a 96-63 defeat to No. 7 North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center in front of 19,246 fans. The Spartans return to action in the New Year when they open Southern Conference play Jan. 2 travelling to Wofford.

“This is as good of a group that North Carolina has had in my recent memory,” head coach Wes Miller said. “They are one of, if not the best team in the country and it was certainly a tall task for us tonight. I thought there were times that we met that challenge in a way I was proud of and there were moments when we didn't meet the challenge. We have been through a lot here in the preseason, but we keep fighting and keep getting better. We are looking forward to getting away from some of these type of games and getting into conference play next week.”

Freshman guards Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) and Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) combined for 31 of the Spartans' points in the loss. Alonso scored a game-high 17 points, 11 of which came in the second half, as he finished the game 5-of-9 from 3-point land in 31 minutes. Troy tallied a career-high 14 points, including 11 in the first half, as he was 3-of-5 from distance off the bench in 31 minutes of action.

UNCG (4-9) connected on 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and hit 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from long range in the loss. The Spartans were out-rebounded by the taller Tar Heels by a 43-22 margin, including scoring 18 points off 16 offensive rebounds.

North Carolina (11-2) finished the night shooting 55.4 percent (36-of-65) from the field and hit 81.8 percent (18-of-22) from the free throw line. Brice Johnson paced the Tar Heels with 16 points and 16 rebounds as six different UNC players scored in double figures. Justin Jackson and Marcus Paige each added 14 points while Isaiah Hicks chipped in 13 points.

The Spartans scored the first points of the game as sophomore Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) scored off an offensive rebound. North Carolina answered that with a 15-2 run to take a 15-4 lead and force the Spartans into a timeout. Paige scored five points in the early going on his way to 11 first half points.

The Tar Heels extended their lead to 19 points at halftime, holding a 47-28 lead. Troy paced the Spartans with 14 points in the first half, already surpassing his career-high of 11 points. He connected on 3-of-5 from 3-point land in the first half in 14 minutes off the bench. UNCG connected on 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from the field and hit 5-of-15 (33.3%) from long range in the first half.

The Tar Heels owned a 27-13 advantage on the glass, including 11 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 14-second chance points. North Carolina connected on 52.6 percent (20-of-38) from the field in the first half as Justin Jackson posted 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

North Carolina took a 55-35 lead early in the second half before the Spartans made a run to make the Tar Heels a little uncomfortable. The Spartans posted an 11-3 run to narrow the gap to 58-46 with 13:19 remaining. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) started the run with a 3-pointer before Alonso scored five straight.

UNC was able to push the lead back to 15 at 66-51 before the Spartans had one final charge, pulling within 67-56 with 9:13 left. Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) scored in the paint before Alonso hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night to make it an 11-point contest.

The Tar Heels answered right back with seven straight points on their way to a 26-10 run that sealed the victory. Johnson scored six points during the run to ignite the 19,246-fan crowd before Nate Britt hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end any threat.

White, who was limited with a foot injury, scored eight points in 19 minutes off the bench as he was 4-of-5 from the field. Redshirt freshman center Lloyd Burgess (Durham, N.C./Christ School) made his first career start and played a career-high 19 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds.

The Spartans will be off until Jan. 2 when they open Southern Conference play in Spartanburg, S.C., when they take on perennial league power Wofford. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

-UNCG-