ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The sixth-seeded UNCG men's basketball team saw its five-game winning streak come to an end along with its season as the Spartans fell 80-64 to third-seeded Furman Saturday night at the U.S. Cellular Center at the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville. The loss ends the Spartans season at 14-18 overall while the Paladins advance to the semifinals to face second-seeded ETSU Sunday.

Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) closed out his illustrious career with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds. Locke was 7-of-14 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, in 32 minutes of action. He finishes his career seventh all-time in UNCG scoring history with 1,501 career points.

Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) added 10 points and six rebounds as the Spartans were limited to just two players in double figures. Freshman guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) was held to eight points in the loss. He finishes his season as the all-time leading scorer among UNCG freshmen with 418 points, six more than Jay Joseph's previous freshman mark of 412.

The Spartans were limited to just 42.9 percent (24-of-56) shooting from the field, including just 38.7 percent (12-of-31) in the second half. Furman connected on 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from 3-point land and hit 22-of-30 (73.3%) from the free throw line. Stephen Croone and Devin Sibley led the Paladins with 20 points apiece while Geoff Beans added 14 points off the bench.

The Spartans started slowly, falling behind 14-10 just over 10 minutes in as they committed four early turnovers. The Paladins posted a 12-2 run to take a 26-14 lead as Croone got going from the start of the game. Furman held a 31-18 lead before the Spartans closed the half on an 11-5 run to pull within 36-29 in the first half. UNCG had a big chance to make it an even smaller deficit as White's 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out to keep it a seven-point margin.

The Paladins would open the second half on a 9-3 run and extended their lead to 54-38 with 12:19 remaining in the game. The Spartans answered back with a 17-7 run to pull within six at 61-55 with 7:36 remaining. Freshman guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark the Spartans before senior Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C./Eastern Alamance) connected on his third 3-pointer to make it a two possession game.

Furman was able to close out the victory, posting a 15-2 run to take a 78-59 lead with just over a minute to play. The Paladins connected on the free throw line down the stretch and Croone hit some big shots as the shot clock was expiring to send Furman to victory.

Lamot finished the game with nine points off the bench in 27 minutes as he was a perfect 3-of-3 from long-range. He finished his UNCG career by making a 3-pointer in 15 straight games, finishing the year shooting 41.9 percent from distance. Troy added eight points off the bench while junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) also added eight points.

-UNCG-