GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team hits the road for the final time in the 2014-15 regular season Thursday night when the Spartans travel to Spartanburg, S.C., for a matchup against Southern Conference leader Wofford. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Benjamin Johnson Arena and will be streamed online in full HD for free on the SoCon Digital Network. The game will also be broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and online via the TuneIn App with Scott Pryzwansky providing the call.
The Spartans enter the final four games of the regular season tied for eighth place overall in the SoCon standings and are within reach of the sixth and final bye in the 2015 SoCon Tournament. UNCG is two games behind VMI in the win column with four games to play, three of which are at home, while the Keydets have only three games remaining with just one at home.
Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) leads the Spartans in scoring at 14.3 points per game, which ranks ninth in the SoCon. Saddler is also fourth in the league with 96 assists and 20th in the conference on the glass at 4.6 rebounds per game. Over the last six games, Saddler has been limited to just 8.0 points per game while battling through a knee injury.
Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is second on the team and 12th in the SoCon in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Locke is second on the team and 15th in the league on the glass at 5.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 47.3 percent (133-of-281) from the field.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 6.9 rebounds per game. White is shooting 55.5 percent (122-of-220) from the field this year. He has come off the bench for the past six games, averaging 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a reserve.
Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. Paulos leads the team and ranks sixth in the SoCon with 76 3-pointers, while connecting on 44.2 percent from distance. Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) adds 9.7 points and 71 assists on the year.
Wofford enters Thursday's game with a 21-6 overall record and a 12-2 mark in Southern Conference play. The Terriers lead the SoCon standings by one game on Chattanooga and are ranked No. 40 in the NCAA RPI. Wofford is 11-1 this year at home, including a 6-1 mark in league play, as its lone league home loss came against Chattanooga 56-46 Feb. 12. The Terriers are averaging 65.7 points this season while holding opponents to a league-low 59.6 points per game.
Karl Cochran leads the team and ranks sixth in the SoCon in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Cochran also leads the team on the glass at 5.9 rebounds per game, in assists with 76, in steals with 53 and blocks with 28. He has also hit 80 3-pointers this year, shooting 37.2 percent from distance. Spencer Collins is second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. Collins is tied for second with 31 3-pointers, hitting 38.8 percent. Lee Skinner is third on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game and second on the glass at 5.8 rebounds per game. Justin Gordon adds 8.0 points per game while Eric Garcia chips in 7.7 points per game.
Thursday's game marks the 33rd meeting all-time between UNCG and Wofford. The Spartans trail the all-time series by a 10-22 mark but have gone 2-2 against the Terriers in the last two meetings, including a 73-71 victory in Spartanburg last year. In that game, the Spartans rallied from a 15-point deficit and out-scored the Terriers by a 44-33 mark in the second half. UNCG connected on 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the field and hit all three 3-pointers in the second half.
Locke scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line while Saddler added 14 points. White came off the bench and scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Collins led Wofford with 15 points while Cochran added 12 points.
Wofford won the first meeting this year with a 58-42 showing at the Greensboro Coliseum, holding the Spartans to a season-low 42 points. UNCG connected on just 19-of-60 (31.7%) from the field and only 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from long range. Wofford conversely connected on 60.6 percent (21-of-35) from the field. Baldwin was the lone Spartan in double figures with 11 points while White added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. Saddler was held scoreless for the first time in his career during the loss. Collins again led the Terriers with 14 points while Skinner added 12 points and Cochran chipped in 11.
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