GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team fell to the Furman Paladins on Friday afternoon, 89-66, inside Bodford Arena in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action.
 
Three Spartans reached double-figures in the contest with Justin Neely leading the way with 20 points. KJ Younger followed closely behind with 17 points, while Valentino Pinedo chipped in 10 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
Furman got the scoring started with a 5-0 run before Donald Whitehead Jr. responded with a triple at 18:16, propelling UNCG to seven-straight points, 7-5, at 17:28. The Paladins regained the advantage after a 7-0 run at 14:51, 14-7. With 8:41 on clock, six consecutive points from Noah Norgaard granted the Blue & Gold with a one-point lead at 6:33, 22-21. However, an 8-0 Furman run put the Paladins back on top for the visiting team to maintain the advantage for the remainder of the frame. The Paladins held the five-point lead going to the locker room, 35-30.
 
Coming out of the break, UNCG notched a 7-2 run to tie things up at 37-37 with 18:16 on the board. Furman's Charles Johnston chipped in a hook shot at 17:45 before Younger launched a three-pointer at 17:27 to give UNCG a one-point lead, 40-39. The score toggled back-and-forth for a few minutes, but a Neely layup at 14:03, 45-44, would be the final lead for the Spartans in the contest. Furman chipped away to take a 12-point lead at 5:29, 69-57. Four-straight free throws from Neely brought the Spartans back within eight with five minutes left, 69-61, but Furman notched a 10-0 run to regain a 79-61 advantage at 2:45. The Paladins maintained control the rest of the way to secure the 89-66 win.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Neely's 20 points was his 12^th consecutive game with double-figures and 18^th game this season.
• He was one board shy of a double-double after leading UNCG with nine rebounds.
• Neely shot 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
• Younger went 4-for-7 from behind the arc and led the Spartans with two steals.
• Norgaard and Whitehead Jr. led UNCG with three assists apiece.
• Furman led the contest in points off turnovers (11-7), rebounds (30-27), defensive rebounds (25-20), points in the paint (32-30), steals (5-3) and assists (23-12).
• UNCG bested Furman in offensive rebounds (7-5), second chance points (8-7) and blocks (3-1).
• The contest was tied in fast break points (2-2) and bench points (5-5).

RECORDS 
UNCG: 8-13, 4-4 SoCon 
FUR: 14-7, 5-3 SoCon 
 
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UP NEXT 
UNCG hits the road for two SoCon games, first visiting Macon, Georgia, to face Mercer on Thursday, Jan. 29 inside Hawkins Arena at 7:00 p.m. The Spartans then travel to Charleston, South Carolina, to battle The Citadel on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m. at McAlister Field House.