GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team used a dominating first half effort to improve to 8-3 at home this season and 4-1 in Southern Conference play at home as the Spartans pulled away from visiting Western Carolina 75-58 Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Spartans against the Catamounts, marking their first win in the series since 2012.

The Spartans return to action Saturday evening as they host SoCon foe East Tennessee State. The game will be played on campus at Fleming Gymnasium with a 5 p.m. tip-off. The game will mark the first time UNCG has played a SoCon game in Fleming since Jan. 23, 2010.

“I am really proud of our guys tonight,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We played really well on both ends of the floor and for one of the first times this season we held a team under 40 percent shooting from the field. Our guys were really tuned in defensively in the first half and their play on that end of the floor translated to some good play offensively as we shared the ball throughout the game.”

The Spartans (9-14, 5-5 SoCon) put themselves alone in sixth place in the league with a two-game lead over both WCU and The Citadel while also being just a game behind Wofford in the standings. UNCG held the Catamounts to just 37.3 percent (22-of-59) shooting from the field and only 10.5 percent (2-of-19) from distance. In fact, Western Carolina missed its first 16 shots from 3-point land on the night.

The Spartans finished the game with nine players finding their way onto the score sheet and five players with at least nine points. Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh), the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, led the Spartans with 17 points and eight rebounds as he was 7-of-13 from the field, continuing his strong play of late.

Senior guard Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) tied his career-high with 13 points off the bench in 24 minutes of action. Lamot connected on 4-of-5 from the field, including three 3-pointers. Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added 12 points and four blocked shots in the victory as he was 3-of-4 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

The Spartans handed out 16 assists in the victory with junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) tying his career-high with nine helpers and just two turnovers. Freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) added nine points and four assists while not committing a turnover. Mike Brown led Western Carolina with 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-17 shooting from the field.

The Spartans came out of the gate quickly, opening to an 8-1 lead as freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) hit two early 3-pointers and White scored in the paint. UNCG kept the momentum going and extended its lead to 21-6 as Locke scored on consecutive possessions.

The Spartans extended their lead to 38-18 as Lamot hit his third 3-pointer off the bench. UNCG went into the locker room holding a 38-21 lead as the Spartans connected on 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from distance. The Spartans also held a 23-14 edge on the glass in the first half, including seven offensive rebounds.

Locke led all players with 10 points in the first half while Lamot added nine points. Western Carolina was limited to just 7-of-29 (25.9%) shooting from the field and missed all 10 of its 3-point shots in the opening half. Justin Browning led with eight points while Mike Brown added six points as only four Catamounts scored in the first half.

The second half saw the Spartans maintain their lead throughout as they controlled play against the Catamounts. White led the way in the half with eight points while Locke added seven points. The Catamounts made one run to narrow the gap to 60-47 with 5:16 remaining as Torrion Brummitt scored but UNCG answered with seven straight to extend the lead back to 20 points as White scored four straight and Locke capped the run with a basket in the paint.

-UNCG-