GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns home to begin a three-game home stretch Thursday night as the Spartans welcoming in Southern Conference foe The Citadel to the Greensboro Coliseum. 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 Spartans are 8-1 at home this season, including 5-1 at home at the Greensboro Coliseum. Last year, UNCG recorded a 13-4 record at home marking the most home wins in a single season in program history. Since the 2015-16 season, the Spartans are 32-9 at home, good for a 78.1 winning percentage.
Thursday's game marks the 33rd meeting all-time between UNCG and The Citadel. The Spartans are 23-9 all-time against the Bulldogs, including six-straight wins. UNCG has won 13 out of the last 15 meetings against The Citadel. Last year, the Spartans won three meetings with the Bulldogs posting a 95-87 victory in Charleston, an 81-72 victory in Greensboro and a 76-67 victory in Asheville in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
The Spartans averaged 84.0 points per game in the three contests against The Citadel last year while shooting 46.7 percent (91-of-195) from the field and 36.4 percent (28-of-77) from 3-point land. Former Spartan Diante Baldwin led the way averaging 18.7 points and 7.3 assists per game. Senior forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) averaged 13.7 points per game while grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. Junior guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds against the Bulldogs, shooting 50 percent (9-of-18) from distance.
The Citadel averaged 75.3 points per game while shooting 35.9 percent (71-of-198) from the field and 35.4 percent (34-of-96) from 3-point land. Former Bulldog Preston Parks led the way averaging 23.3 points per game shooting 10-of-28 from distance. Zane Najdawi averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 18-of-22 (81.8%) from the free throw line.
UNCG enters Thursday's game with a 12-5 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Southern Conference play. The Spartans have won eight out of their last 10 games and are 8-1 this season at home at the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG is averaging 72.2 points per game while allowing a SoCon best 61.8 points per game. The Spartans are shooting 44.1 percent (441-of-999) from the field and 35.7 percent (167-of-468) from 3-point land. Opponents are shooting 41.9 percent (348-of-830) from the field and 30.5 percent (96-of-315) from distance on the season.
Junior guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) leads the team and ranks third in the SoCon in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Alonso is shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point land, connecting on a team-high 63 3-pointers. He is shooting 87 percent (47-of-54) from the free throw line and is second on the team with 47 assists. Smith is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game and third on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. He is second on the team with 33 made 3-pointers, connecting on 32.4 percent from distance.
Sophomore forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) leads the team and the SoCon on the glass, grabbing 8.4 rebounds per game. Dickey leads the league with 58 offensive rebounds. He is averaging 7.9 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent (50-of-107) from the field. Freshman guard Isaiah Miller (Covington, Ga./Newton) chips in 6.8 points per game off the bench. Senior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) adds 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 33.3 percent (19-of-57) form deep. Troy leads the team with 61 assists and averages 6.0 points per game.
The Citadel enters Thursday's game with a 6-11 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs snapped a five-game losing streak last time out with a 110-101 overtime win at home over Chattanooga. The Citadel is 1-7 on the road this year, including 0-2 in league play, with its only win coming at High Point. The Bulldogs lead the SoCon and rank 11th in the nation averaging 87.4 points per game. The Citadel is last in the conference and 350th out of 351 teams in scoring defense, allowing 93.2 points per game. The Bulldogs are shooting 42.8 percent (525-of-1228) from the field and 34.7 percent (208-of-599) from distance while opponents are shooting 49.4 percent (583-of-1181) from the field and 38.3 percent (193-of-504) from distance.
Matt Frierson leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 12.7 points per game. Frierson is first on the team and third in the SoCon with 61 made 3-pointers, connecting on 40.1 percent. Zane Najdawi, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game while grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game. Najdawi is shooting 52.9 percent (74-of-140) from the field. Tariq Simmons rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.8 points per game while hitting 23 3-pointers. Kaelon Harris adds 9.8 points per game and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game.
-- UNCG --
