GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns to a familiar place this weekend as the Spartans hit the road once again for a swing trip through the mountains beginning Saturday afternoon when they take on East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Freedom Hall and will be televised on ESPN3 and the ESPN App with Kasey Marler and Bob Bolen on the call. Additionally, the game will be broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and online via Tune In with Luke Martin providing the call.
Saturday's game marks the eighth time in the last 10 games that UNCG will be on the road since the beginning of December. The Spartans are 0-8 on the road this season, including an 87-76 loss in the Southern Conference opener at Wofford last weekend.
UNCG is coming off its first SoCon win of the year with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Furman at home Tuesday night. The Spartans scored the game's final seven points and junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) scored the game-winning basket with 3.9 seconds remaining to improve UNCG to 1-1 in league play this season.
Four Spartans are averaging double figures this season with junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) leading the way at 11.8 points per game. White also leads the team on the glass and ranks third on the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting 59.6 percent (68-of-114) from the field and 69.4 percent (25-of-36) from the free throw line. White has been one of the more consistent Spartans recently, scoring in double figures in eight of nine contests. During that stretch he is averaging 13.2 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. He has connected on 65.8 percent (50-of-76) from the field and shooting 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free throw line during the run.
Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game and tied for second on the glass with 4.9 rebounds per game. Locke is shooting 44.2 percent (72-of-163) from the field and 60-of-124 (48.4%) on two-point shots. Baldwin is tied for third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. He leads the team with 65 assists and 29 steals while also ranking second with 4.9 rebounds per game
Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.7 points per game while leading the team with 34 3-pointers this year. Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) adds 9.1 points per game while freshman Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) chips in 6.6 points per game.
East Tennessee State enters Saturday's game with an 8-6 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Southern Conference play. The Buccaneers have won three straight games with wins over Morehead State, Western Carolina and N.C. Central. ETSU opened league pay with an impressive 82-66 win in Cullowhee before a non-conference affair with N.C. Central. The Bucs are 5-1 this season at home in Johnson City with their lone loss coming to UNCW.
ETSU has nine players averaging over 4.0 points per game as those nine players average at least 10 minutes per game. Ge'Lawn Guyn, a senior transfer from Cincinnati, leads the Bucs in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Guyn has hit a team-high 31 3-pointers, connecting on 41.9 percent while also shooting 80.8 percent (42-of-52) from the free throw line. T.J. Cromer is second on the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game and leads the team with 38 assists. Cromer is second on the team with 25 3-pointers and is shooting 80.4 percent (41-of-51) from the charity stripe.
Saturday's game marks the 21st meeting all-time between UNCG and East Tennessee State. The Spartans trail the all-time series by a 12-8 margin but split the season series last year with both road teams winning. Last season marked the first meetings between the teams since 2005. The games last season were close affairs with UNCG posting an 80-79 victory in Johnson City in December and ETSU picking up a 65-62 victory in the Greensboro Coliseum in February. In both games, the losing teams had potential game-winning or game-tying looks in the final 10 seconds of the contest. The Spartans' victory in Johnson City last year snapped a five-game skid for UNCG at ETSU, marking its first road win in the series since 2000.
Locke averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game against the Buccaneers last season, shooting 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field and heading to the free throw line 16 times. White added 8.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for UNCG. Former Buccaneer Jalen Riley led ETSU in both games, averaging 24.5 points per game, hitting seven 3-pointers and getting to the free throw line 16 times. AJ Merriweather averaged 12.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for ETSU against the Spartans.
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