GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team continues its play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Monday night when the Spartans travel to face the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The game will be streamed for free online via Ohio with links at www.uncgspartans.com. Additionally, the game will be broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and online via Tune In with Luke Martin on the call.
The Spartans advanced to the second round of the CBI with a 69-65 victory over Houston Baptist last week at the Greensboro Coliseum. Ohio advanced to the second round with a 94-90 overtime win at home against Albany. The CBI bracket will be reseeded after Monday night's game heading into the semifinal round so the winner of the game will have to wait until all games finish Monday to know its opponent in the semifinals later in the week.
The Spartans enter Monday's game having won six out of their last seven games, including the first round victory over the CBI. UNCG has knocked off Wofford, Samford, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Mercer and Houston Baptist during the run with its lone loss coming to Furman in the Southern Conference Tournament. Over the past seven games, the Spartans are averaging 74.3 points per game while shooting 47.6 percent (188-of-395) from the field and 39.3 percent (59-of-150) from 3-point land. Conversely, opponents are only scoring 67.9 points per game and are limited to just 36.6 percent (154-of-421) shooting from the field and 30.6 percent (56-of-183) from distance over the last seven games.
The Spartans enter the game with a 15-18 overall record after posting their first-ever postseason victory at the NCAA Division I level. Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) leads four players in double figures for the Spartans at 13.2 points per game. Alonso already holds the UNCG single-season freshman scoring record with 435 points and he ranks third all-time in UNCG single-season history with 85 made 3-pointers. He is shooting 40.5 percent from distance this season.
Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game. Locke is currently tied with Yusuf Stewart (1990-93) for seventh all-time in UNCG scoring history with 1,514 career points. He is the all-time leader with 129 career games played as a Spartan, including 114 starts.
Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is third on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. White is just two points shy of becoming the 21st member of the 1,000-point club in UNCG history with 998 points entering Monday's game. He is shooting 61.6 percent (162-of-263) from the field this season, which ranks 15th in NCAA Division I.
Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) rounds out the Spartans in double figures scoring at 11.5 points per game. Baldwin leads the team with 166 assists while also grabbing 4.9 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) adds 9.2 points per game and is second on the team with 51 3-pointers made.
Ohio enters the game with a 22-11 overall record, including a 15-2 mark at home at the Convocation Center with its two losses coming against Bowling Green and Akron. The Bobcats have gone 3-4 over the past seven games with wins over Buffalo, Miami, Northern Illinois and most recently Albany in the first round of the CBI while falling to Bowling Green, Akron and Buffalo.
The Bobcats are averaging 78.8 points per game while holding opponents to 74.9 points per game. Ohio is shooting 47.2 percent (890-of-1886) from the field and 39.1 percent (284-of-726) from 3-point land this year. Antonio Campbell, the MAC Player of the Year, leads the Bobcats in scoring at 17.4 points per game and on the glass with 9.9 rebounds per game. Campbell is shooting 56.9 percent (226-of-397) from the field and has hit 43 3-pointers at a 39.4 percent clip.
Jaaron Simmons is second on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game. Simmons has dished out 260 assists this year, which ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division I. Kenny Kaminsky is third on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game and leads the team with 77 3-pointers. Treg Setty rounds out the double figure scorers at 11.8 points per game and is coming off a career-high 30 points in the Bobcats' overtime victory against Albany in the CBI first round.
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