GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team returns for a six-day break Wednesday night as the Spartans travel to Greenville, S.C., for a pivotal Southern Conference contest against Furman. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Timmons Arena and pits the second-place Spartans against the third-place Paladins. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the ESPN App with Dan Scott and Bryant Lambert on the call. Additionally, the game will be aired on TuneIn with Scott Pryzwansky on the Spartans' call.
The Spartans have won six out of their last seven games and sit alone in second place in Southern Conference play with an 8-2 record in league play and a 17-6 overall mark. UNCG is coming off a 73-51 victory over VMI last Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans' defense forced 23 turnovers by the Keydets in the victory and held VMI to its fourth-lowest scoring output of the year.
Wednesday's game marks the 33rd meeting all-time between UNCG and Furman. The two teams are deadlocked all-time at 16-16 against each other with the Spartans winning the last two meetings. UNCG was the only Southern Conference team to record a win in Timmons Arena last year, downing the Paladins by a 73-52 margin in Greenville.
The Spartans opened the season series this year with a 71-61 victory over Furman at the Greensboro Coliseum just exactly two weeks ago. UNCG flipped the game with a late 17-1 run against the Paladins, holding Furman to a then season-low 61 points. The Paladins were held to just 41.8 percent (23-of-55) shooting from the field and 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from 3-point land.
Junior guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) led the way with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Alonso was 2-of-3 from 3-point land and hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) added 12 points and nine rebounds, hitting 5-of-6 from the field. Senior forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) finished with 13 point and five rebounds in 29 minutes of play. Junior guard Demetrius Troy (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) continued his strong play with 11 points and four assists, marking the third-straight game in double figures. John Davis led the Paladins with 19 points and seven rebounds while Matt Rafferty added 14 points and five rebounds.
UNCG has posted a 5-5 overall record on the road this year, including a 3-2 mark in SoCon play with wins at VMI, Western Carolina and Samford. The Spartans are averaging 73.8 points per game while holding teams to a league-best 63.3 points per game. UNCG is shooting 44.3 percent (602-of-1360) from the field and 35.7 percent (227-of-635) from 3-point land. Opponents are shooting 41.7 percent (478-of-1147) from the field and 31.9 percent (143-of-448) from distance. The Spartans are limiting opponents to just 6.2 made 3-pointers per game, the lowest number in the SoCon this season.
Alonso leads the Spartans and ranks second in the SoCon in scoring at 17.1 points per game. He leads the team with 83 3-pointers, connecting on 43.9 percent while hitting 87.3 percent (62-of-71) from the free throw line. He ranks second on the team with 69 assists. Smith is second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game and second on the team grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game. He is second on the team with 49 made 3-pointers, hitting 32.9 percent from distance.
Dickey leads the SoCon in rebounding at 8.2 caroms per game while adding 8.5 points per game. Dickey leads the SoCon with 46 blocked shots. He is shooting 52.8 percent (75-of-142) from the field this season. Freshman guard Isaiah Miller (Covington, Ga./Newton) adds 8.0 points per game off the bench and a team-high 31 steals. Miller is shooting 78-of-140 (55.7%) on 2-point field goals this year and has hit 12-of-16 (75%) from the free throw line in league play. Senior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) is third on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game while adding 6.7 points per game. Kuiper has connected on 26 3-pointers, hitting at 33.8 percent. Troy leads the team with 92 assists and has a league-leading 2.57 assist/turnover ratio in league play.
Furman enters Wednesday's game with a 16-8 overall record and a 7-4 mark in Southern Conference play. The Paladins have posted a 3-4 record over their past seven games, including a 100-92 overtime loss at The Citadel Saturday. Furman owns a 10-2 record at home this season, including a 4-1 league mark. The Paladins' two home losses have come against Winthrop and ETSU. Furman is averaging 80.2 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent (684-of-1474) from the field and 35.5 percent (252-of-710) from 3-point land. Opponents are averaging 69.7 points per game, shooting 43.8 percent (609-of-1390) from the field and 31.3 percent (165-of-527) from distance.
Devin Sibley leads the Paladins in scoring at 15.7 points per game and is one of four members averaging double figures. Sibley leads the team with 46 3-pointers, connecting on 37.4 percent while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game. Davis is second on the team with 12.2 points per game while hitting 32 3-pointers at 35.6 percent. Matt Rafferty leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game while adding 11.8 points per game. Rafferty is shooting 61.7 percent (113-of-183) from the field. Daniel Fowler rounds out the double figure scorers at 11.2 points per game. Fowler is third on the tea with 40 made 3-pointers while Jordan Lyons is second on the team with 43 made 3-pointers.
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