MACON, Ga. – De'Monte Buckingham scored 18 points to lead the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team during a 58-49 setback to Mercer in a Southern Conference contest at Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Bas Leyte added eight points and eight rebounds for the Spartans, who scored 20 points in the paint. Kaleb Hunter finished with six points and five rebounds in 24 entertaining minutes. 

Kobe Langley contributed six assists and three steals. Langley averaged 6.5 assists for UNCG during this two-game road trip.
 
The Spartan defense played with fervor and focus. For UNCG, this was the fifth time in its last six games, it held an opponent below 60 points. The Spartans also finished with 10 steals, the second time in the last four games it finished with double digits in that category.
 
Records
UNCG            10-7, 2-3
Mercer             10-7, 3-1
 
Quotable
UNCG head coach Mike Jones
"Defensively we competed and executed well enough to give ourselves a chance to win the game. On the other side of the ball, we did not. We had some great looks. Didn't make them. We had some great opportunities inside and we didn't finish. It made it tough and we didn't get to the free-throw line as much as we've liked to. We were not patient enough to get the kind of shots we wanted and persistent enough to execute well and make them foul us. We have to continue to trust and share, and when we do, we'll get great shots and whether they go or not, we have to understand that's really good offense and that's going to give us a chance to score more." 
 
How It Happened

• UNCG held Mercer to 38 points over the final 30 minutes.
• UNCG held Mercer scoreless for a 3:21 stretch of the second half when it trailed 48-37, but during that time, it could only shave two points off of its deficit.
• Leyte finished an 8-0 Spartan run in the second half with a layup that cut UNCG's deficit to 43-35 with 14:35 remaining.
• Buckingham opened the second half with a breakaway dunk to bring UNCG to within, 30-25.
• Dante Treacy and Mohammed Abdulsalam took charges on consecutive defensive possessions in the first half.
• The Spartans ended the first half by scoring the final seven points.
• UNCG held Mercer without a field goal for the last 6:03 of the first half.
• Mercer opened the game by 20 of the first 29 points nine minutes into the contest.

 
Inside the Numbers

• This was the 13th time this season and 72nd time in his career that Buckingham has scored in double figures.
• Buckingham made four 3-pointers.
• Buckingham scored UNCG's first basket in each half.
• This was the ninth time this season and the second straight game in which Leyte had at least six rebounds.
• The Spartans won the battle of the boards, 28-27.
• UNCG had 12 assists on its 18 baskets.
• Dante Treacy collected five assists, the third time this season he finished with at least that many in a game.
• Keyshaun Langley had UNCG's lone blocked shot.
• Mercer got 16 points from Jalen Johnson and 13 points from Felipe Hasse.

 
Up Next

• UNCG hosts Chattanooga at the Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 at 7 p.m.