HIGH POINT, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team dropped a 90-72 contest to Triad rival High Point Wednesday night at the Millis Center. The loss drops the Spartans to 3-5 on the season while the Panthers improve to 7-2 on the year with their ninth straight home win at the Millis Center.

Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) led four players in double figures for the Spartans in the loss with a team-high 16 points, despite fouling out after 27 minutes of play. Freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) added 11 points, nine of which came in the second half, as he hit three 3-pointers. Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) and sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) added 12 points apiece in the loss.

UNCG finished the night shooting 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the field and hit 7-of-22 (31.8%) from 3-point land. The Spartans were out-rebounded by a 36-29 margin in the loss. High Point finished the night shooting 57.1 percent (32-of-56) from the field and hit 6-of-10 (60%) from long range.

John Brown led High Point with a double-double as the preseason Big South Player of the Year scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Brown was 9-of-15 from the field and hit 6-of-8 from the free throw line in 29 minutes of play. Lorenzo Cugini added 15 points while Adam Weary chipped in 14 points in the victory.

The Spartans came out of the gate shooting from the outside as seven of their first nine shots where from distance. Smith hit his first two 3-pointers as the Spartans were within one at 9-8 five minutes into the game.UNCG switched its mode of attack as it started to pound the ball inside and hit the offensive glass. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) started the inside game with back-to-back baskets. White imposed his will in the paint, scoring eight straight on four shots in the paint to give the Spartans an 18-15 lead.

The Spartans would extend their lead to 26-21 as they continued to crash the offensive glass. Baldwin gave them a five-point lead as he converted an offensive rebound. HPU answered with a 12-2 run to take a 33-28 lead as Brown started to heat up, scoring six straight as UNCG committed back-to-back turnovers.

The Spartans pulled within three at 39-36 just under a minute left in the half as Baldwin scored off a drive but the Panthers score the final five points of the half to take a 44-36 lead into the locker room. The Spartans connected on 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from the field but hit just 2-of-10 (20%) from long range in the half. White and Baldwin led the way with 10 points each while Smith added eight points.

High Point connected on 53.1 percent (17-of-32) from the field and hit 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line in the half. Brown led all players with 15 points in the half as he was 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Lorenzo Cugini added 10 points, seven of which came in the final four minutes of the half.

The Spartans score the first basket of the second half as White converted in the paint to pull within six at 44-38. High Point broke the game open with a 16-7 run to take a 60-45 lead with 13:36 remaining. Brown scored seven points in the run and Weary added four points as the Panthers took the lead to double figures and were able to maintain that lead throughout the second half.

The Spartans host their lone home game of the month of December Saturday night as the UNCG hosts Belmont Abbey. Game time is set for 8 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.

-UNCG-