GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team begins the final 10-day stretch of the regular season Saturday afternoon as the Spartans travel to Southern Conference leader Furman for a pivotal game in the league standings. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Timmons Arena on Furman's campus. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the ESPN App with Dan Scott and Jim Davis on the call. Additionally, the game will be radio broadcast on TuneIn and online at www.uncgspartans.com/radio with Scott Pryzwansky on the call.

The Spartans enter Saturday's game with a 19-8 overall record and a 10-4 mark in Southern Conference play. UNCG is currently tied for third place overall with Chattanooga (10-4), trailing Furman at 13-2 and ETSU at 11-3 with four games remaining in the regular season. Furman enters the game riding a 10-game winning streak overall, having not lost since Jan. 14 at Wofford. The Paladins also are undefeated at home in league play and have won 16 straight home SoCon games entering Saturday's game.

Saturday's game marks the 31st meeting all-time in program history between UNCG and Furman. The series has been closely matched over its lifetime with the Spartans trailing by a slim 16-14 margin. The Paladins have won three straight over UNCG, including a 73-67 victory in Greensboro Jan. 28. Additionally, the Spartans have dropped two straight in Greenville and are just 1-6 in its last seven visits to Timmons Arena. UNCG's lone win on the road in that stretch came by way of an 88-65 victory Feb. 7, 2014.

Earlier this year, the teams played a hotly contested affair at the Greensboro Coliseum with Furman pulling out the six-point victory. The Spartans connected on 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field and 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from 3-point land while hitting all 14 of their free throws. UNCG committed 16 turnovers in the loss, which Furman turned into 20 points. The Paladins connected on 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field and 32 percent (8-of-25) from deep.

Senior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) led UNCG with 25 points and seven rebounds as he was 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Senior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) added 14 points while Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) was limited to nine points on just 2-of-4 shooting from deep. Devin Sibley led the Paladins with 24 points, 22 of which came in the second half as he was 9-of-11 from the field. Kris Acox posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. John Davis added 13 points and Jordan Lyons came off the bench to chip in 10 points.

UNCG has won three straight games entering Saturday with wins at Samford, at Western Carolina and home to Wofford. The Spartans are 5-2 on the road in SoCon play this season, with wins over The Citadel, ETSU, VMI, Samford and Western Carolina. UNCG is averaging 75.3 points per game while holding opponents to 69.0 points per game. The Spartans are shooting 46.8 percent (730-of-1560) from the field and 39 percent (237-of-607) from 3-point land. Opponents are shooting 42.9 percent (637-of-1486) from the field and 36.2 percent (201-of-555) from distance.

Alonso leads the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game and has made 74 made 3-pointers, hitting at 45.7 percent from deep. He also has hit 74 free throws, connecting on 89.2 from the charity stripe. Baldwin is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game. He is shooting 38.6 percent (34-of-88) from 3-point land and 76.7 percent (66-of-86) from the free throw line. He leas the team with 107 assists and 48 steals.

White rounds out the Spartans averaging double figures are 12.4 points per game. He is shooting 55.2 percent (133-of-241) from the field this season and leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game. Junior forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per game. Smith is second on the team with 41 made 3-pointers, hitting at 32.8 percent.

Redshirt freshman forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game, including a team-high 59 3-pointers. Dickey also adds 5.7 points per game while shooting 55.9 percent (57-of-102) from the field. Junior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) chips in 6.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) is third on the team with 37 made 3-pointers, connecting on 40.7 percent.

Furman enters Saturday's game with a 20-8 overall record and a 13-2 mark in Southern Conference play. The Paladins have won 10 straight games with their last losses coming at Chattanooga Jan. 7 and at Wofford Jan. 14. Additionally, Furman is a perfect 7-0 at home in league play and has won 16 straight SoCon games at home. The Paladins' last home loss in league play came back on February 28, 2015 against Wofford. Furman is averaging 75.2 points per game while holding opponents to just 65.0 points per game. The Paladins are shooting 48.5 percent (745-of-1536) from the field and 39.6 percent (254-of-642) from deep. Opponents are being held to 41.0 percent (633-of-1544) from the field and 30.3 percent (187-of-617) from deep.

Devin Sibley leads the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game overall and 19.1 points per game in SoCon play. Sibley is shooting 52.5 percent (156-of-297) from the field, 44.5 percent (61-of-137) from 3-point land and 75 percent (99-of-132) from the free throw line. Kris Acox is second on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. Acox is shooting 62.7 percent (158-of-252) from the field this season.

Daniel Fowler rounds out the Paladins in double figures scoring at 11.4 points per game. Fowler is shooting 36.5 percent (35-of-96) from 3-point land and leads the team with 109 assists. Jordan Lyons (41), Geoff Beans (39), John Davis (37) and Andrew Brown (36) have all hit at least 35 3-pointers this season.

-- UNCG --