LEXINGTON, Va. – The UNCG men's basketball team had its lowest-scoring output of a first half in Southern Conference play Thursday night and the Spartans couldn't mount the large comeback as they dropped an 86-72 contest to VMI at Cameron Hall. Spartans fell behind by 17 points in the first half as they were held to just 27 points in the opening 20 minutes, falling to 5-8 in league play on the year.

The Spartans connected on just 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field in the loss and only 39.3 percent (11-of-28) in the first half. UNCG was off the mark from distance for the second straight game, hitting just 8-of-29 (27.6 percent). Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) tied his career-high with 24 points and seven rebounds. White connected on 10-of-16 from the field and hit all four of his free throws.

VMI (7-17. 2-11 SoCon) finished the night shooting 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the field and hit 37.5 percent (12-of-32) from 3-point land. The Keydets forced the Spartans into 14 turnovers, scoring 21 points off those miscues while only committing seven turnovers as a team. QJ Peterson led five in double figures with 19 points and nine rebounds while Tim Marshall added 16 points.

VMI came out of the gate quickly, opening to a 12-3 start to force UNCG into a timeout. The Keydets hit five of their first six shots from the field, including 3-pointers from Marshall and Peterson. VMI kept adding to its lead in the first half, forcing another Spartan timeout with 8:05 remaining leading 29-15. The Keydets closed the half in fitting fashion as Austin Vereen hit a 3-pointer from just inside the half court line at the buzzer to give VMI a 44-27 lead.

The Spartans connected on just 11-of-28 (39.3%) from the field and hit just 3-of-12 (25%) from distance in the first half. UNCG committed seven first half turnovers, which VMI turned into 16 points. White led the way in the first half with 10 points while senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added seven in the half.

The Spartans opened the second half on a 10-2 run and out-scored the Keydets 20-9 in the first five minutes to narrow the gap quickly to 53-47. White was the offensive spark, scoring 10 points in the first five minutes of the half. Jordan Weethee slowed the momentum by hitting a 3-pointer for VMI but the Spartans kept battling, eventually pulling within five at 58-53 when White scored again in the paint with 10:23 remaining.

Each time the Spartans pulled within two possessions, VMI would put together a spurt to extend the lead back to double figures. UNCG was within nine with 6:25 remaining after an Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) 3-pointer, but the Keydets scored the next five points, including a 3-pointer from Peterson to seal the victory.

Locke finished with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) added 13 points and nine rebounds while junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

The Spartans return to action Monday night when they host SoCon foe Wofford. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum and will be televised on Fox Sports Southeast.

-UNCG-