GREENSBORO, N.C.- Hot on the heels of back-to-back victories over conference foes Western Carolina and Wofford, UNCG plays host to fellow SoCon member Furman Saturday, tipping at 4:00 p.m. at Fleming Gymnasium. The Spartans boast a 12-11 record, including a 3-5 mark in league play, while the Paladins sit at 12-12 and 5-3 in SoCon play.
Wednesday's game will be broadcasted on the SoCon Digital Network, with D.J. Ellison and Kenny Mann on the call. Live stats will be available for the game via UNCGSpartans.com. Fans looking for advance tickets can contact the UNCG Ticket office at alrich@uncg.edu, or by calling 336-334-3250.
The Guilford County Animal Shelter will be in attendance at the game, showcasing animals up for adoption.
The last time out for UNCG, the Spartans upended Wofford Wednesday night at Fleming Gymnasium, 67-61. The win gave UNCG its third-consecutive SoCon home win, the first such streak since the 2010-11 season. Additionally, the victory catapulted the Spartans above .500 at the latest point in the season since 2006-07.
It was a block party for the Spartans, swatting away a season-high 10 Terrier shot attempts. The 10 blocks were the most in a single game for UNCG since December 19, 2012 against North Carolina Central.
Nadine Soliman (Cairo, Egypt/Mokattam Language School) paced the Spartans with 17 points on seven-of-14 shooting. Bailey Williams (Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) did a little bit of everything, posting 12 points, a season-high five rejections, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Saturday's contest could very well be a defensive battle, with Furman and UNCG ranking first and second in the conference in defensive field goal percentage at 37.0-percent and 37.2-percent, respectively. The two sides also rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the league in rebounding, with the Spartans leading the way at 40.0 boards per game and the Paladins corralling 38.9 rebounds per game.
Soliman leads the UNCG offense, ranking third in the conference in scoring at a 16.8 clip. Te'ja Twitty (Rutherfordton, N.C./Rutherfordton-Spindale Central) ranks second on the team with 9.4 points per game and pulls down 7.3 rebounds per game to lead the Spartans. Running the point, Williams chips in 8.3 PPG and dishes out 3.4 assists per game.
Furman is coming off of a 72-75 overtime loss to Western Carolina on Thursday. The Paladins really struggled during overtime, making just two-of-11 attempts from the field in the extra period. Overall Furman converted 34.3-percent of its field goals, while allowing a 45.8 percentage from the Catamounts. Cierra Carter poured in 27 points and notched seven boards, while DeAnneisha Jackson added 13 points off the bench.
Whitney Bunn (15.3 PPG) spearheads a trio of Paladins averaging double-figures in scoring. Bunn is joined by Carter and Le'Jzae Davidson, who average 12.8 and 10.5 points, respectively. Carter ranks third in the SoCon in rebounding at 8.0 points per game, while Bunn's 4.5 assists per game is good for fourth most in the league.
UNCG and Furman tip off at 4:00 Saturday afternoon at on Lynne Agee Court at Fleming Gymnasium.
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