GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team controlled play for almost 30 minutes of action Thursday night, but East Tennessee State reversed the script late in the game as the Spartans dropped a 65-62 Southern Conference contest at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Spartans had two looks in the final eight seconds of the game at potential game-tying 3-pointers, but could not get either to fall snapping two-game winning stretch for UNCG. The loss keeps the Spartans a game out of sixth place in the SoCon with the top six teams earning a first round bye in the 2015 SoCon Tournament.

“Tonight was a strange game, a game of runs,” head coach Wes Miller said. “For the most part, I thought we guarded well for the first three quarters of the game and we have been guarding well over the last two weeks. Our defense kept us in the game and allowed us to push out to a big lead in the second half and then we stopped guarding in the last 10 minutes. We had a chance to go up 15 and a shot bounced around the rim. From that point on we just weren't the same defensively. Our inability to get stops down the stretch, impacted us more than anything else.”

Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) led a balanced scoring attack as eight different Spartans scored at least four points and five players had six or more points. Locke scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds as he was 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) added 11 points, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots in the gritty effort.

The Spartans connected on 42.9 percent (21-of-49) from the field and hit 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from distance on the night but shot just 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line. Additionally, the Spartans committed 16 turnovers, 12 in the second half, which ETSU turned into 20 points off those miscues.

East Tennessee State (14-10, 7-7 SoCon) finished the night shooting just 34.5 percent (19-of-55) from the field and just 3-of-8 (16.7%) from distance but were strong at the line hitting 24-of-29 (82.8%). The Bucs also won the rebounding edge 37-29, including 12 offensive rebounds. Jalen Riley led the Bucs with 21 points off the bench while Devin Harris posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

In a game of runs, the Spartans came out quickly opening to an 8-5 lead early as Locke scored the first six points of the game and Saddler scored off a drive. East Tennessee State switched up its defense and went to a zone, posting a 12-1 run to take a 23-12 lead as UNCG went without a field goal for over eight minutes.

The Spartans did not wilt as it posted an 18-7 run to close out the first half and take a 30-28 lead into the locker room. Locke settled the Spartans down as he scored on an offensive rebound put-back before UNCG caught fire from distance. The Spartans hit five straight 3-pointers in the final 3:06 of the half to take the lead as junior walk-on Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Lees-McRae) provided a boost by hitting two long range shots. Sophomore guard Clay Byrd (Connolly Springs, N.C./East Burke) also added a pair of 3-pointers, including a 4-point play with 32 seconds remaining to give UNCG the lead.

The Spartans connected on 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the field and hit 6-of-14 (42.9%) from long range, including their last five from distance. Locke led the way with nine points while Byrd added seven and Lamot chipped in six points off the bench. East Tennessee State connected on just 36 percent (9-of-25) from the field and hit 2-of-10 from distance in the opening half but converting 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

The Spartans came out in the second half and posted a 12-2 run to take a 42-30 lead just over eight minutes into the half. Saddler scored the first five points of the second half while classmate Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) capped the spurt with five straight points. UNCG posted a 30-9 run covering the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to take an 11-point deficit and turn it into a 12-point lead.

East Tennessee State answered back with a 12-2 run to narrow the gap to 44-40 as A.J. Merriweather scored four straight to ignite the stretch. After a Paulos 3-pointer, the Bucs scored six straight to tie the game at 47-47 after back-to-back Merriweather baskets.

The Bucs extended their lead to 63-58 as Riley started to take over offensively with 10 straight points, including a big 3-pointer to extend the lead to five. The Spartans kept battling and pulled within one with 21.8 seconds left at 63-62 when Baldwin hit a pair of free throws.

Rashawn Rembert hit two free throws with 14.1 seconds left to push the ETSU lead back to three at 65-62. The Spartans called a timeout and got a good look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer but Byrd's shot rolled off the rim. The ball went out of bounds off the Bucs giving UNCG another chance but senior Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) saw his attempt from the corner also rattle off the rim to clinch the ETSU victory.

The Spartans return to action in less than 48 hours as they travel to Macon, Ga., for a meeting against the Mercer Bears. Game time is set for 4 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.

-UNCG-