CULLOWHEE, N.C. – For the third straight game, UNCG men's basketball saw its game come down to the closing seconds of regulation, but this time the Spartans came out on the wrong end, dropping an 83-77 Southern Conference battle to rival Western Carolina in overtime Monday night at the Ramsey Center. The Spartans and Catamounts both had shots to win the game in the final 10 seconds of regulation before WCU out-scored the Spartans 11-5 in the extra period.

The Spartans (5-12, 1-3 SoCon) pulled in front 70-69 with 1:26 remaining as junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) scored in the paint. White made another play on the defensive end this time, drawing a charge on Mike Brown and giving UNCG the ball back. Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) drove down the lane and nailed a contested jumper to put UNCG in front 72-69 with 47.2 seconds remaining.

Western Carolina (7-9, 2-1 SoCon) was able to tie the game at 72-72 with 34.5 seconds remaining as Rhett Harrelson got open in the corner and nailed his sixth 3-pointer to knot the game. The Spartans had a chance to win the game but senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) was called for an offensive foul with 7.2 seconds remaining to give the Catamounts one final look.

Western Carolina got the ball in the hands of Brown in the closing seconds but senior guard Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) was able to strip him of the ball as he rose up for the shot at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

The Spartans took a 75-74 lead with 3:38 left in the extra period as White scored in the post but the Catamounts responded with seven straight points to take an 81-75 lead with 1:05 remaining. UNCG committed three turnovers during the extra period and connected on just 1-of-5 from the field. Western Carolina was able to seal the victory by hitting 7-of-9 from the free throw line in overtime.

UNCG finished the game shooting 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the field and hit 40 percent (12-of-30) from long range in the loss. Western Carolina connected on 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field and hit 56 percent (14-of-25) from 3-point land. It marked the fourth straight game a UNCG opponent has hit 10 or more 3-pointers against the Spartans.

Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) led four Spartans in double figures in the loss, scoring a career-high 21 points. Smith connected on 8-of-17 from the field in the loss and hit four 4-pointers. Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) added 16 points, including three 3-pointers while classmate Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) chipped in 14 points off the bench with 4-of-5 shooting from distance.

White ended the night with 13 points and nine rebounds as he was 6-of-9 from the field shooting. He made his first two shots from the field Monday to tie the UNCG record with 12 straight made field goals, matching the mark of Kyle Hines from 2005. White hit his last shot against Furman, all nine against ETSU and his first two tonight for 12 straight before missing a 3-pointer at the 16:03 mark of the second half.

Harrelson led the Catamounts with 22 points as he was 6-of-11 from distance and hit four free throws. Torrion Brummitt added 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting while Brown chipped in 12 points and seven assists.

The first half was a battle back-and-forth with the Spartans taking an early 19-15 lead as Baldwin hit 3-pointer. UNCG extended its lead to 34-28 as White scored nine out of 11 points during a stretch, hitting three 3-pointers. Western Carolina answered back and took a 37-36 lead as Harrelson and Brummitt hit long range shots. The Spartans closed the half with five straight points when Troy hit a 3-pointer and Smith scored off an offensive rebound for a 41-37 halftime lead.

Smith led UNCG with 13 points in the first half while Alonso finished with 11 points. White was limited to just four minutes due to foul trouble. Brummitt added 13 points and Harrelson chipped in 11 points to lead the Catamounts in the first half.

The Spartans came out in the second half and started raining 3-pointers to extend their lead to a game-high 11 points a 57-46 points. Smith started the barrage with a 3-pointer before Troy hit back-to-back shots to force a Western Carolina timeout.

The Catamounts responded with an 18-5 run to take a 64-62 lead as they increased pressure and forced the Spartans into turnovers while also hitting from the outside. UNCG weathered the run and took the lead back at 70-69 to set the stage for the game's closing minutes.

The Spartans will be off for almost a week as they return to action Sunday afternoon in the first of three straight home games at the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG will welcome in VMI for a 1 p.m. matinee and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN App.

-UNCG-