GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team rallied from a six-point deficit late in the second half to pull away from visiting Samford Sunday 86-78 in Southern Conference action at the Greensboro Coliseum. All five starters scored in double figures in the victory, which improved the Spartans to 3-4 in league play while Samford falls to 2-6 in SoCon action.

Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) led the attack with a team-high 20 points, including 5-of-10 from 3-point land. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added 17 points, 12 of which came in the second half when UNCG out-scored the Bulldogs 51-41.

The second half saw the Spartans win on both ends of the floor as they connected on 50 percent (13-of-26) in the second half to finish the game shooting 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor. Additionally, UNCG shot just 50 percent from the free throw line (6-of-12) in the first half but hit 76.9 percent (20-of-26) in the second half. The Spartans handled the Samford full court press admirably in the victory, only committing nine turnovers. UNCG actually out-scored the Bulldogs 16-9 in points off turnovers.

The Spartans also stepped up on the defensive in the second half, limiting Samford to just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) shooting from the field. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field and only 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from distance.

Redshirt junior center R.J. White fell just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. White was limited to just eight field goal attempts but was able to get to the line 12 times. Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 11 points and seven assists while only committing two turnovers against the full court press. Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) rounded out the Spartans starters in double figures with 10 points.

Wyatt Walker led Samford with 17 points as he was one of four Bulldogs in double figures. Jamal Shabazz and Christen Cunningham each added 15 points while Matt Rose chipped in 14 points.

The Spartans opened up to an early 11-8 lead as Smith scored eight early points, including his first two 3-pointers. Samford settled in and scored the game's next 10 points to take an 18-11 lead as the Bulldogs zone defense posed problems for UNCG and Samford was able to get out in transition.

The Spartans responded with a 15-3 run to take a 33-29 lead. The Spartans scored the first eight points during the run, tying the game at 26-26 when sophomore Garrett Collins (Asheville, N.C./Fishburne Military Academy) hit a 3-pointer. UNCG extended their lead as White and senior forward Locke scored in the post.

Samford closed the half on an 8-2 run to take a 37-35 lead as Darius Jones-Gibson scored in transition just before the buzzer to give the Bulldogs the lead. UNCG connected on 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from the field and 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from long range. The Spartans were off from the free throw line in the opening half, hitting just 6-of-12 (50%). Smith led the way with 11 points while White added 10 points. Samford connected on 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field and hit 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from long distance in the half. Rose led the Bulldogs with nine points while Shabazz added eight points.

The Spartans came out of the break and opened up to a 44-40 lead at the first media timeout. Back-to-back driving layups from Alonso and Baldwin game the Spartans the 4-point land. Samford answered back with a 0-9 run to take a 49-44 lead as Shabazz hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Senior guard Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) hit a 3-pointer to pull within 52-50, but Samford would extend it back out to six at 59-53 with under 10 minutes remaining.

UNCG answered back with a 9-2 run to take a 62-61 lead with 6:08 remaining and force Samford into a timeout. Smith started the run with a 3-pointer before Baldwin scored off a tough drive in the paint. The teams traded baskets before Cunningham hit a free throw to tie the game at 65-65.

The Spartans finally broke through with some breathing room with an 11-2 run to take a 76-67 lead with 3:35 remaining. Smith again started the run with a 3-pointer before Baldwin was fouled sending him to the line. He hit the first but missed the next two. Locke out-muscled the Samford defense for the offensive rebound and converted the put-back into a three-point play as UNCG took the lead back for good. The Spartans closed out the victory by hitting 12 out of their last 14 from the charity stripe to improve to 7-3 at home this year, including 3-1 in league play.

The Spartans hit the road for two games this week, beginning Thursday when they travel to The Citadel.

-UNCG-