Box Score CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team picked up its second-straight Southern Conference road win Saturday afternoon as the Spartans pulled away from The Citadel 79-63 at McAlister Field House. The Spartans closed the game on a 38-18 run, holding the Bulldogs to only four field goals over the final 16:31 of the game.
Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) became the 20th player in UNCG basketball history to reach the 1,000-career point mark during the victory as five different Spartans scored nine or more points. Locke reached the mark with 5:44 left in the second half as he converted an old-fashioned 3-point play during the Spartans' decisive run. He has scored 1,001 career points in his first three seasons, playing in his 88th career game Saturday and his 73rd career start.
Sophomore guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) led four in double figures in the victory with a game-high 17 points, while also dishing out a game-high eight assists. Baldwin scored 14 of his points in the second half as he was 5-of-13 from the field and hit all five of his free throws. Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench in 27 minutes of action. White connected on 7-of-10 from the field in the victory as UNCG out-scored the Bulldogs 30-14 in the paint.
Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists while battling foul trouble. Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) added 14 points as he was 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from long range.
The Spartans finished the game shooting 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the field and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from 3-point land in the victory. UNCG also won the rebounding battle by a 32-30 margin and out-scored The Citadel 43-26 in the second half.
The Spartans held the Bulldogs to 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the field and 89.4 percent (5-of-17) from long range. Ashton Moore led The Citadel with a game-high 32 points, 20 in the first half, on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 15-of-16 from the free throw line.
The Spartans opened up to an early 7-2 lead as Saddler scored the first four points of the game and Baldwin hit a 3-pointer. The Spartans kept attacking and forced The Citadel into a timeout when they took a 19-12 lead just over eight minutes into the game.
White came off the bench and provided a spark with four straight points while Paulos nailed a 3-pointer. The Spartans held a 24-16 lead with 7:35 left as White continued to dominate in the paint with nine points in the early going.
The Citadel posted an 11-5 run to narrow the gap to 29-27 as Ashton Moore got going and the Bulldogs took advantage of UNCG foul trouble by converting at the free throw line. The Citadel took its first lead at 35-33 and went into the locker room with a 37-36 lead despite the Spartans holding the lead for 16:46 of the half. UNCG was called for 12 fouls in the first half and had five different players with at least two fouls. The Citadel took advantage, converting 10-of-12 from the charity stripe (83.3%), including 10-of-10 from Moore.
UNCG connected on 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field and 33.3 percent (3-of-9) from long range in the opening half. White led the way with 11 points as UNCG out-scored The Citadel 16-2 in the paint while Saddler added seven points and Locke chipped in six points. The Citadel hit 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the field and did its damage at the free throw line. Moore led the way with 20 points in 20 minutes as he was 4-of-6 from the field to go along with his perfect half at the line.
After Baldwin hit a 3-pointer to open the second half scoring, the Bulldogs scored six straight points to take a 43-39 lead. Jake Wright hit a 3-pointer from the wing while Brian White converted an old-fashioned 3-point play.
The Spartans answered back with 10 unanswered points to take a 51-45 lead. Saddler and Paulos started the run hitting jumpers on consecutive possessions before Paulos and sophomore Clay Byrd (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) hit consecutive 3-pointers.
After The Citadel hit a pair of free throws, Paulos hit another 3-pointer as the Spartans turned their 10-0 spurt into a 21-5 run to take a 62-50 lead. Paulos scored eight points during the run while Saddler added six points as UNCG turned a four-point deficit into a 12-point lead over a 9:15 stretch of the second half.
The Citadel tried to make a run as it scored five straight points off of Moore's play to pull within nine at 58-67. UNCG ended any doubt in the game with a 14-3 run to take a 79-61 lead. Baldwin slammed the door shut on the Bulldogs with seven points during the stretch while Paulos had the dagger with his fourth 3-pointer.
The Spartans return home to the Greensboro Coliseum for their lone road game during the current five-game stretch Thursday night as UNCG hosts East Tennessee State. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and marks the second meeting this year against the Bucs as the Spartans posted an 80-79 win in Johnson City, Tenn., in the league opener.
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