GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team turned in its strongest defense effort since 2009 as the Spartans recorded a dominating 61-42 victory over visiting Presbyterian of the Big South Conference Monday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. The 42 points allowed is the lowest scoring output by an opponent since holding Samford to 40 points in a victory December 5, 2009.

The Spartans (1-1) picked up their first win of the season by holding Presbyterian to just 33.3 percent (13-of-39) shooting form the field and only 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point land. Even more impressive was the rebounding advantage held by the Spartans. UNCG out-rebounded the Blue Hose by a 47-28 margin, including 26 offensive rebounds. The Spartans' rebounding edge led to a 23-6 edge in second chance points and allowed UNCG to attempt 28 more shots from the field that Presbyterian (67-39). Presbyterian, which opened the season with a win over Southern Conference foe Furman, falls to 1-1 on the year.

Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) led the way with his first double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Redshirt freshman James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) made his collegiate debut Monday and grabbed 10 rebounds, seven on the offensive end in 22 minutes of actin.

Senior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 11 points as eight different Spartans scored in the victory. Baldwin also notched a game-high five steals as the Spartans forced Presbyterian into 23 miscues in the win on the strength of 15 steals. UNCG finished the night shooting just 32.8 percent (22-of-67) from the field and 33.3 percent (10-of-30) from distance.

The Spartans came out of the gate quickly, opening up to a 14-2 lead just over six minutes into the game. Senior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) and sophomore guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) each hit early 3-pointers for the Spartans. UNCG forced Presbyterian into turnovers with its early pressure before White posted back-to-back dunks to give UNCG a 12-point lead.

The Spartans maintained their lead for much of the first half, entering the locker room with a 29-15 advantage. UNCG limited the Blue Hose to just 27.8 percent (5-of-18) shooting from the field and only 28.6 percent (2-of-6) from distance in the first half. The Spartans forced 12 Presbyterian turnovers with seven steals and tallied an 11-1 advantage in second chance points as they out-rebounded PC by a 23-14 margin.

The Spartans connected on 35.3 percent (12-of-34) from the field but only hit 3-of-16 (18.8%) from distance against the Presbyterian zone. UNCG out-scored the Blue Hose 18-6 in the paint with White leading the way with nine points and six rebounds.

UNCG opened the second half with the first seven points to take a 36-15 lead with 16:45 remaining. Sophomore Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) started the run with a 3-pointer before Smith scored four straight to take the 21-point lead. After a small Presbyterian push, the Spartans ended any doubt with an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 44-19 with just under 12 minutes remaining. Smith started the spurt with a 3-pointer while junior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) scored in the paint.

Kuiper finished with six rebounds and five points in 23 minutes of action while Troy added eight points, four rebounds and three assists in his first action of the season.

The Spartans return to action this weekend as they travel to High Point for the HPU Classic, a multi-team event at the Millis Center. UNCG will play three games in three days in the event, beginning Friday night when it battles host High Point at 7 p.m. The Spartans will also play North Dakota State Saturday and Navy Sunday.

-- UNCG --