GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns home to the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night as the Spartans welcome in Mercer in Southern Conference action. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the ESPN App with Scott Pryzwansky and Darryl Kosciak on the call. The game will be radio streamed on TuneIn and online at www.uncgspartans.com/radio with Parker Southern providing the call.
The Spartans enter the game riding a four-game winning streak and sit atop the SoCon standings with a 5-1 league record. UNCG is off to the second-best start in program history overall at 14-5 through 19 games, trailing only the 1994-95 season which opened with a 16-3 record through this point in the season. Additionally, the Spartans' 14 wins so far this season already matches last year's regular season total and is one shy of its overall 15-19 record from last year.
The Spartans' current four-game winning streak marks their second winning streak of at least four games this season as they posted a six-game stretch from Nov. 19-Dec.5. This is the first time since 2007-08 that UNCG has seen two winning streaks of at least four games in the same season. The Spartans have downed Chattanooga, Western Carolina, ETSU and The Citadel during the current streak.
The Spartans are averaging 76.0 points per game this season while allowing 66.9 points per game .UNCG is shooting 46.9 percent (523-of-1114) from the field and 41.0 percent (179-of-437) from 3-point land. Opponents are shooting 42.2 percent (434-of-1029) from the field and 35.9 percent (138-of-384) from distance.
Sophomore guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) leads four Spartans in double figures. Alonso is averaging a team-high 14.0 points per game and is shooting 45.4 percent (54-of-119) from 3-point land. His 54 made 3-pointers ranks second in the Southern Conference. Senior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game. Baldwin leads the team with 83 assists and is shooting 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from 3-point land. He enters Thursday's game seven points shy of becoming the 23rd player in UNCG history to score 1,000 career points.
Senior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is third on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game. White is shooting 53.7 percent (80-of-149) from the field. Junior forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.4 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds per game. Smith is second on the team with 31 made 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) adds 8.9 points per game off the bench. Troy is second on the team with 71 assists and third with 30 made 3-pointers. Junior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) chips in 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while redshirt freshman forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) adds 6.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Mercer enters Thursday's game with an 8-11 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bears played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the league and opened league play with losses at Wofford, Furman, ETSU and Chattanooga. Mercer has topped VMI and league foe Samford, the Spartans' lone loss in conference play this year. The Bears are averaging 70.2 points per game while allowing 69.6 points per game. Mercer is shooting 44 percent (480-of-1090) from the field and 34.9 percent (155-of-244) from 3-point land. Opponents are shooting 41.3 percent (434-of-1051) from the field and 33.8 percent (158-of-467) from distance.
Ria'n Holland, a junior college transfer, is averaging 17.4 points per game to lead the Bears. Holland leads the team with 52 made 3-pointers, connecting on 38.2 percent and is shooting 84.9 percent (45-of-53) from the free throw line. Demetre Rivers is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. Rivers is shooting 50.9 percent (83-of-163) from the field and is third on the team with 25 made 3-pointers. Jordan Strawberry rounds out the Bears in double figures are 10.9 points per game. Strawberry leads the team with 80 assists and is second with 27 made 3-pointers. Stephon Jelks leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game while adding 7.4 points per contest.
Thursday's game marks the eighth meeting all-time between UNCG and Mercer and the fifth meeting as Southern Conference foes. The Spartans are just 1-6 all-time against the Bears but picked up their lone win last time the two met in the regular season finale. UNCG posted a 69-65 victory over Mercer in the Greensboro Coliseum in that game. Mercer notched an 81-67 victory in Macon in the first of the home-and-home series. The Spartans connected on 42.6 percent (46-of-108) from the field and 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from 3-point land in the two games. Mercer connected on 43 percent (49-of-114) from the field and 46.7 percent (21-of-45) from 3-point land.
Former Spartan Kayel Locke led the Spartans in two games, averaging 16.0 points per game. Alonso was second on the team with 14.0 points per game as he shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point land. White chipped in 12.0 point and 7.5 rebounds per game, as he was 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field. Smith added 9.5 points per game and hit six 3-pointers against the Bears. Jestin Lewis led Mercer with 23.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while Desmond Ringer added 16.0 points per game. Rivers and Jelks each added 10.0 points per game in the two contests.
-- UNCG --
