GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team came back to defeat The Southern Conference (SoCon) opponent The Citadel, 69-66, in overtime on Thursday night at Bodford Arena.   

Justin Neely recorded his 11th double-double of the season and 18th of his career behind 23 points and 16 rebounds, which matches his career-high. Lilian Marville was second on the team with 15 points, which were all recorded in the second half.  Rounding out the Spartans in double figures, Valentino Pinedo logged his fourth double-double of the season and seventh of his career with 10 points and 12 boards.   

HOW IT HAPPENED 
UNCG jumped out to a quick 6-0 start behind three pointers from Neely and Donald Whitehead Jr. The Spartans soon saw an eight-point lead, 15-7, with 14:22 on the clock.  

The Bulldogs halted the Spartans with a 20-0 run, climbing to a 12-point cushion, 27-15, with 4:46 left in the half. Layups from Neely and KJ Younger cut the deficit to eight, 27-19, with 3:56 remaining. The Citadel concluded the first half with back-to-back three pointers, heading into the break with a 14-point advantage, 33-14.   

The Bulldogs began second half with a dunk from Simeon German giving them a 16-point lead, 35-19, their largest lead of the game. However, a  28-11 run in favor of the Spartans gave them their first lead of the second half, 47-46, of the game. Eleven of UNCG's 28 points came from Marville during that stretch. Following a free throw by The Citadel's Braxton Williams to tie the game at 47-47, the Bulldogs maintained the advantage until 1:19 left in the half. Behind three free throws made by Neely, to tie the game at 62-apiece, the Spartan defense shut down the last three Bulldog possessions to force overtime.  

In overtime, Whitehead Jr. hit a huge three to give UNCG the 65-64 lead before The Citadel retook the advantage on a layup, 66-65. Neely then converted a contested layup with 2:41 on the clock to put pressure on the Bulldogs. After back-to-back turnovers from The Citadel, Marville iced the game with a turnaround jump shot with 45 seconds left to bring us to the final score of 69-66.  

BY THE NUMBERS 

• All 15 points scored by Marville were in the second half. 

• UNCG bested The Citadel in field goal percentage (43%-38%), total rebounds (44-35), second chance points (9-6), points in the paint (40-22) and fast break points (14-5). 

• The Citadel led the way in three-point percentage (34%-21%), free throw percentage (82%-47%) and bench points (18-15).  

• The two teams were tied in points off turnovers (15-15). 

• Neely and Whitehead Jr. both contributed three assists each. 

• Pinedo and Younger each recorded three blocks apiece. 

• Younger also had three steals on the defensive end.  

RECORDS 
UNCG: 7-11, 3-2 SoCon 
CIT: 4-14, 1-4 SoCon 

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UP NEXT 
UNCG stays at home hosting Mercer on Saturday, Jan. 17 at First Horizon Coliseum with a 4:00 p.m. start time. Saturday's game is a WHITE OUT and fans are encouraged to wear white. The first 500 fans will receive a FREE replica white jersey!