GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team won its fourth straight game and improved to 9-8 in Southern Conference play Thursday night as the Spartans roll past The Citadel 92-63 at the Greensboro Coliseum in front of a season-high crowd of 3,109 fans, including 1,459 students in attendance. The Spartans' four-game winning streak is their longest streak since winning six straight in 2012 in head coach Wes Miller's interim season. 

The victory moves the Spartans into a tie with Western Carolina for fifth place overall in the conference and one game in front of Mercer for the sixth and final bye in the upcoming SoCon Tournament. UNCG will host Mercer Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tip-off at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans can secure a bye with a win over the Bears, but a loss will drop the Spartans into the seventh seed due to tiebreaker scenarios.

The Spartans (13-17, 9-8 SoCon) led for the entire game as they connected on 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from the field and hit 44 percent (11-of-25) from distance. The 92 points scored are the second-highest this season for UNCG, only trailing the 102 points the Spartans scored in a victory at The Citadel.

Additionally, the Spartans limited the Bulldogs to just 27 percent (20-of-74) shooting from the field and only 25.6 percent (10-of-39) from 3-point land. UNCG limited the nation's highest scoring team to over 20 points below their season average and the 63 points is the second lowest output this season for The Citadel.

Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) posted his second double-double of the season to lead the Spartans. Smith scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds as he nearly had a double dip in the first half with nine points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed five rebounds in the victory. Alonso connected on 7-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point land.

Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) continued his strong play of late adding 15 points and six assists while not committing a turnover against The Citadel full court pressure. Redshirt freshman center Lloyd Burgess (Durham, N.C./The Christ School) scored a career-high eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.

The Citadel (10-20, 3-14 SoCon) lost for the eighth straight time Thursday. Brian White led the Bulldogs with 18 points off the bench, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Derrick Henry chipped in 13 points as only two Bulldogs reached double figures in the loss.

The Spartans came out of the gate and led from the start, scoring on the first possession of the game as Smith nailed a 3-pointer in an omen for the night. UNCG scored the first seven points of the game, five of which came from Smith. After UNCG held an 18-10 lead, the Spartans posted a 10-2 run to take a 28-12 lead. Alonso got things going with seven of the 10 points in the spurt, including a 3-pointer.

The Spartans would extend their lead to as much as 20 points in the first half and went into the locker room with a 45-27 advantage. UNCG connected on 46.9 percent (15-o-32) from the field and hit 5-of-13 (38.5%) from distance in the opening 20 minutes. Alonso led the way with 16 points in the first half, including four 3-pointers, while Smith had nine points and 11 rebounds.

After The Citadel scored the first basket of the second half, UNCG answered with 11 straight to take a 56-29 lead just over four minutes into the half. Baldwin scored five points during the run while Smith added four points as UNCG started to dominate play in the paint. The Spartans finished the game out-scoring the Bulldogs 40-20 in the paint.

The Citadel pulled with 61-40 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Brian White and Warren Sledge but the Spartans would not allow the Bulldogs to mount any rallies Thursday night. A 13-2 run by the Spartans ended any doubt, extending the lead to 74-42 with 8:56 remaining. The run was highlighted by three consecutive 3-pointers, including a pair from sophomore forward Garrett Collins (Asheville, N.C./Fishburne Military Academy).

Collins finished the night with six points and five rebounds off the bench as UNCG out-rebounded the Bulldogs 51-43. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) added seven points and seven rebounds while junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) chipped in seven points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in just 26 minutes of action.

The Spartans close out the 2015-16 regular season Sunday afternoon when they welcome in the Mercer Bears. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. Prior to the game, the Spartans will recognize their three seniors in Michael Adams (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road), Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) and Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh).

-UNCG-