CHARLESTON, S.C. – Behind a career-high 30 points from senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh), the UNCG men's basketball team won a wild shootout over Southern Conference foe The Citadel 102-95 Thursday night at McAlister Field House. The victory improved the Spartans to 4-4 in SoCon play and marked their first road win of the year.

The 102 points scored are the most for UNCG in a regulation game since scoring 104 points against East Tennessee State January 14, 2002 (W, 104-92). The Spartans had three players score over 20 points in the victory, marking the first time they have accomplished that feat as a team since February 25, 2008 in a 75-67 victory over the College of Charleston (Mikko Koivisto 25, Kyle Hines 23, Kevin Oleksiak 22 points).

“We played together tonight and stayed poised against a very good team that likes to make the game crazy,” head coach Wes Miller said. “Our guys showed a lot of resiliency tonight as The Citadel kept making runs but we stayed together and had an answer each time. We got contributions up and down the lineup tonight.”

Locke led four in double figures as he scored a career-high 30 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. He connected on 11-of-14 from the field, including all three 3-pointers he attempted, while also hitting 5-of-8 from the free throw line. The 30-point effort marks the highest output of the season for the Spartans and the most since 2013 (Tevon Saddler 34 points).

Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) also turned in a career-high as he finished just shy of a triple-double. Baldwin scored a career-high 23 points, dished out a career-high nine assists and grabbed six rebounds in 35 minutes of action. He finished the game 9-of-16 from the field and hit five free throws.

“Kayel was great tonight offensively,” Miller said. “He got going early hitting some 3-pointers but really had an impact on the offensive glass, getting rebounds and scoring in the paint. Also, Diante (Baldwin) had a fantastic game. He handled the press most of the night almost single-handily while also scoring some really big baskets for us down the stretch.”

Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) added 21 points in 31 minutes, 15 of which came in the second half. Alonso finished 4-of-9 from 3-point land and hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) posted his second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 points as UNCG out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 49-32 margin, including 15 on the offensive glass.

The Spartans (8-14, 4-4 SoCon) finished the game shooting 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the field and hit 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from 3-point land. UNCG also connected on 72.7 percent (24-of-33) from the free throw line as it had almost 100 possessions in the track-meet style game. The Spartans scored 60 points in the first half, a UNCG record against an NCAA Division I team for first half points.

The Citadel (9-12, 2-6 SoCon) entered the game as the highest scoring team in NCAA Division I. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field and 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from 3-point land. The Citadel went to the free throw line 36 times, connecting on 80.6 percent from distance. The Spartans led for over 36 minutes in the victory. Six different Bulldogs scored in double figures with Quinton Marshall and Derrick Henry pacing the attack with 20 points apiece.

The Spartans scored the first five points of the game but The Citadel answered with a 13-1 run to take a 13-6 lead just over three minutes into a game to force a UNCG timeout. The Bulldogs did their damage from the outside, hitting three 3-pointers from Marshall, Warren Sledge and Quayson Williams.

The Spartans answered with 11 straight points and a 15-3 run to take a 21-16 lead. Locke ignited the run with two straight 3-pointers while Smith added a 3-pointer to give UNCG the lead back for good. The game went back-and-forth with The Citadel tying the game at 21-21 with 13:25 remaining in the first half.

UNCG answered with a 9-1 run to take a 30-28 lead as Alonso hit from the outside and Baldwin started to heat up offensively. UNCG would lead by as much as nine points in the first half (47-38) but The Citadel clawed back within two at 52-50 with 2:12 remaining in the half as they got to the free throw line.

The Spartans closed the first half on an 8-3 run to take a 60-53 lead into the locker room. Sophomore forward Garrett Collins (Asheville, N.C./Fishburne Military Academy) nailed a 3-pointer in the run and freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) returned from illness to dish out four first half assists.

UNCG connected on 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the field and hit 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from distance in the first half as they scored a season-high 60 points. Locke led the way with 21 points in the first half as he was 8-of-9 from the field while Baldwin added 14 points and six assists in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half saw the game slow just slightly as the Spartans scored eight straight to take a 70-59 lead with 15:41 remaining. Alonso scored the first four points during the spurt while Locke added back-to-back baskets for the double-figure lead.

UNCG would maintain a comfortable lead until The Citadel posted a 13-3 run to narrow the gap to 84-81 with 5:39 remaining. The Bulldogs started to put their head down and attack the basket, getting to the free throw line eight times during the run. The Citadel would pull within two at 88-86 after a Marshall 3-pointer with 3:44 remaining but UNCG again had an answer.

The Spartans scored the game's next six points to take a 94-86 lead as Locke, Baldwin and Alonso scored on consecutive possessions. UNCG also forced the Bulldogs into three straight misses to take the eight-point land. The Spartans would hold off the Bulldogs at the free throw line and Baldwin capped the victory by scoring off a drive as the shot clock was expiring to end The Citadel threat.

Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) was limited to just 20 minutes due to foul trouble but finished with eight points and eight rebounds, including a pivotal offensive rebound to give the Spartans another possession with 2:13 left in the game.

The Spartans continue their southern road swing Saturday afternoon when they travel to Macon, Ga., for a meeting with Mercer. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3 and the ESPN App.

-UNCG-