GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) hit the game-winning shot with 3.9 seconds left Tuesday night to cap the Spartans' comeback over Southern Conference foe Furman 67-66 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans scored the game's final seven points in the final 3:08 of regulation, including the last six from Baldwin in the last 1:40 of the game to secure the victory.

“We needed something good to happen for our guys,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We have been battling and working so hard over the last couple of weeks, but haven't been rewarded with a result. It was great to see our guys make plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor and come home with a much deserved victory.”

The back-and-forth affair saw the game tied 15 different times and had 11 different lead changes, including the final change with 3.9 seconds remaining. The Spartans (5-10, 1-1 SoCon) trailed 66-60 with 3:08 remaining after Stephen Croone hit a pair of free throws. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) hit one of two free throws on the ensuing possession to make it a five-point game before the Spartans' came through on the defensive end.

After an offensive rebound gave Furman (7-8, 1-1 SoCon) another possession, Baldwin stripped Daniel Fowler as the Paladins were trying to run down the clock and was fouled on a fast break with 1:40 remaining. He calmly hit both of his free throws to make it a 66-63 game. The Paladins had a chance to pad their lead on the next possession but John Davis missed a jumper and junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) pulled down a key defensive rebound.

Baldwin quickly pushed the pace and drove into the lane, dropping in a jumper with 1:01 remaining to make it a one-point game at 66-65. The Paladins ran down the clock again and Croone's 3-point shot as the shot clock was expiring was well off the mark and White again pulled down a rebound.

The Spartans called a timeout with 10.6 seconds remaining to set the stage for the late-game heroics. They inbounded the ball to Baldwin who drove down the lane and hit a runner over Croone that rolled around the in and down for the 67-66 lead with 3.9 seconds remaining. Croone had one final chance as his contested 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the front of the rim, sealing the Spartans' victory.

The Spartans finished the night shooting 42.0 percent (21-of-50) from the field and hit 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from 3-point land. UNCG was strong from the free throw line in the victory, hitting 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the field. Furman was held to just 34.5 percent (20-of-58) shooting from the field against the Spartans' defense but was able to hit 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from 3-point land to keep in the game.

Baldwin finished the night with 10 points and five assists, scoring six of his points in the last two minutes of the game. White posted his first double-double of the season with 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

 Locke added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting while freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) chipped in 12 points off the bench. Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) added nine points as UNCG had five players scored at least nine points. Croone led Furman with a game-high 27 points on 6-of-20 shooting but he was the only Paladin in double figures.

The Spartans came out of the gate and opened to an early 10-7 lead as Smith scored five points early. The teams traded baskets until it was tied at 15-15 just over eight minutes into the game. UNCG came out of the media timeout and scored eight straight points as White scored five points during the spurt on his way to a 14-point first half effort. Daniel Fowler hit a 3-pointer for the Paladins to start a 12-0 run as Stephen Croone scored nine straight points to five Furman a 27-25 lead and force UNCG into a timeout.

The Spartans were able to go into the locker room tied at 39-39 as they rode strong free throw shooting in the first 20 minutes, hitting 11-of-12 (91.7%). UNCG connected on 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and hit 4-of-10 (40%) from distance in the first half. Furman hit 14-of-32 (43.8%) from the field in the opening half but was strong from the outside, hitting 8-of-17 (47.1%) as Croone scored 17 first half points.

The second half saw much of the same in the seesaw affair as the teams traded small leads throughout with Furman taking a 50-47 lead on a Devin Sibley 3-pointer with 12:36 remaining. Each time either team made a big play the other team responded the UNCG had an answer as White got down the court in front of the Paladin defense and converted a 3-point play to tie the game at 50-50.

Smith tied the game at 57-57 with a 3-point with 7:40 remaining in the game but Furman scored five straight, including a 3-pointer by Sibley for a 62-57 lead. Troy answered with a big 3-pointer to make it a one possession game but the Paladins scored four straight to take a 66-60 lead, setting the table for the Spartans final 7-0 push.

The Spartans will hit the road for a swing trip this weekend as they travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to take on East Tennessee State Saturday. Game time is set for 4 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3. UNCG will then travel to Cullowhee, N.C., and face off against Western Carolina Monday night at the American Sports Network at 7 p.m.

-UNCG-