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| Francis Alonso led UNCG with a team-high 17 points in a key win over Furman/Photo Courtesy of UNCG athletics |
Francis Alonso paced four Spartans in double figures, as UNC Greensboro knocked off Furman, 71-61, in a key Southern Conference tilt Wednesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.
With the win, UNCG improved to 15-5 overall and 6-1 in Southern Conference play, while Furman drops to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in league action. The loss marks Furman's third in its last four SoCon outings, with two of those setbacks coming on the road. It marked UNCG's third-straight win and fifth victory in its past six outings. The game also marked a milestone for UNCG head coach Wes Miller, who claimed his 100th win as the head coach of the Spartans.
Alonso connected on 4-of-8 shots from the field, including going 2-for-3 from three-point range in the win. He also knocked down 7-of-8 shots from the foul line. The native of Malaga, Spain was joined in double figures by Marvin Smith, who posted 13 points, while James Dickey posted 12 points and nine boards. Demetrius Troy rounded out the Spartans in double figures, as he finished with 11 points.
The game see-sawed back and forth in the second half, with neither team able to create any separation from the other in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, with the largest lead for either team being a five-point edge for the Spartans early in the frame.
However, with the Spartans trailing 54-50 following a Daniel Fowler three-pointer with 9:54 remaining to cap a 7-0 run by the Paladins, the Spartans offered an emphatic response. UNCG mounted a 17-1 run to take control of the game over the final 10 minutes and took a 67-55 lead following a pair of foul shots from Troy with 1:36 left to play.
During that 17-1 run by the Spartans, the Paladins went on an 8:12 scoring drought from the field. Furman's John Davis III would snap the scoring drought with a jumper in the lane with 1:27 left in the contest, trimming the Paladin deficit to 10, at 67-57.
During that 17-1 run by the Spartans, the Paladins went on an 8:12 scoring drought from the field. Furman's John Davis III would snap the scoring drought with a jumper in the lane with 1:27 left in the contest, trimming the Paladin deficit to 10, at 67-57.
The Spartans would close out the win by hitting four free throws to seal the win, with UNCG senior center Jordy Kuiper knocking down three of those four shots down at the charity stripe in the final minute.
Furman used a Fowler buzzer-beating tip-in helped Furman take a 34-32 lead into the halftime locker room. The largest lead for either team in the opening half was six points, at 27-21, by the Spartans The Paladins were just 4-for-15 from three-point range in the opening half of play, while the Spartans went 4-for-6 from long-range in the opening half.
The Paladins were led in the contest by John Davis III, who posted 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including going 2-for-3 from long range. Davis was a perfect 3-for-3 from the line, dished out one assist, collected a career-high seven rebounds and registered two steals. The only other Paladin in double figures was junior forward Matt Rafferty, who finished with 14 points. In his first game back after suffering a dislocated finger against ETSU last week, preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Devin Sibley finished with six points.
One of the biggest advantages the Spartans enjoyed came at the free throw line, amassing 13 more free throw attempts in the contest. The Spartans knocked down 21-of-28 (75%) shots from the free throw, including going 15-for-21 (71.4%) in the second half alone. The Paladins knocked down just 9-15 (60%) from the stripe for the game, and after going 4-for-4 from the line in the first half, the Paladins connected on just 5-of-11 (45.1%) from the stripe in the second half. All told, the Spartans out-scored the Paladins 21-9 at the line.
The Spartans finished connecting on 46.8% (22-of-47) from the field for the game, while Furman shot 41.8% (23-of-55) from the field for the game. The Paladins shot just 26.1% (6-of-23) from the three-point line, while the Spartans finished the contest hitting 40% (6-of-15) from three-point range for the game.
Furman scored 23 baskets on just six assists, while UNCG scored 22 baskets on 12 assists. The Spartans had a 33-28 edge on the boards. Furman held a 26-22 edge in points in the paint and a 7-2 edge in points in the paint, while UNCG held advantages in points off turnovers (14-11), bench points (13-9) and fast-break points (10-5).
The 61 points for the Paladins matches a season-low established a couple of other times this season--both in losses--which came on the road at #21 Tennessee (L,61-66) and last week's SoCon home loss to East Tennessee State (L,61-62). UNCG has held all seven of its SoCon foes to less than 70 points this season, with only ETSU able to upend the Spartans when scoring less than 70, taking a 68-58 win over the Spartans back on Jan. 11 in Johnson City.
After turning the ball over just five times in a win over Samford this past Saturday, the Paladins committed 14 in the loss, while forcing UNCG into just 12 miscues.
Both teams return to action Saturday, with Furman returning home to Timmons Arena to face Western Carolina, with tip-off time set for 4 p.m. UNCG will be on the road at Samford at the Pete Hanna Center for an 8 p.m. EST tip-off with the Bulldogs.
ETSU Remains Perfect With Hard-Fought Win Over Mercer
East Tennessee State connected on a season-high 13 three-pointers en route to getting a hard-fought, 84-75, victory over Mercer to complete the season sweep of the Bears in Southern Conference action Wednesday night at Freedom Hall.
With its 11th-straight win, the Bucs improved to 17-4 overall and remained perfect in Southern Conference play, improving to 8-0. Mercer, the preseason pick by the league's coaches to win the SoCon, dropped to 10-11 overall and 3-5 in league play. The 11th-straight win for the Bucs is the longest winning streak since that Southern Conference championship squad of 2003-04. That squad was able to reel off 16-straight wins before succumbing in defeat to the College of Charleston, 91-89, in the final Southern Conference regular-season game and finished off a 15-1 league season.
Leading the Bucs in scoring in the win was Jalan McCloud, who scored a game-high and career-best 25 points and was among three players to score in double figures Wednesday night, and connected on 9-of-15 shots from the field, including a blistering 6-for-7 from three-point range in the win. McCloud also dished out an assist, and recorded a pair of rebounds and steals.
Joining the senior Texas Southern transfer guard in double figures were senior guards Devontavius Payne (18 pts) and Desonta Bradford (15 pts).
Mercer, which played without leading scorer and star guard Ria'n Holland, also had three in double figures, led by Desmond Ringer's 21 points on perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the field, which included hitting a shot from beyond the arc. The senior center was also 2-for-3 from the line, and also added three rebounds to his stat line. Ringer was joined in double figures by point guard Marcus Cohen, who scored 16 points and added five assists off the bench, while Demetre Rivers chipped in with 14.
Mercer had cut the ETSU to just one point (36-35) inside the final minute, as Jordan Strawberry connected on a triple. However, the Bucs finished out the half with the momentum, after McCloud canned one of his six triples in the game at the buzzer from NBA range, as the Bucs assumed a 39-35 halftime edge. Not surprisingly, the Bears out-scored the Bucs, 20-8, in points in the paint.
The second half was see a see-saw affair much like the Furman-UNCG game, until the Bucs eventually pulled away for good, and led by as many as 11 points (74-63) with just about five minutes remaining. A 9-2 run by Mercer would cut ETSU's lead to just four, at 76-72, with two minutes to play, however, four-straight free throws by Jermaine Long stretched the Bucs' lead to eight (80-72), and the Bucs to close out the nine-point win at the line.
ETSU shot a blistering 51% from the field, and were red-hot from long range, connecting on 50% (13-for-26) from three-point land. The Bucs were efficient once again from the line, posting an 82% clip (23-of-28) from the charity stripe. The Bucs recorded 18 assists on 24 made field goals.
Mercer finished shooting the ball at a 46.7% from the field, but were just 6-for-24 (25%) from beyond the arc in the game. The Bears connected on 76.5% (13-of-17) from the line. The Bears recorded 11 assists on 28 made field goals.
The Bucs return to action Saturday evening for a huge Southern Conference clash at Wofford. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Mercer returns home to Hawkins Arena to face The Citadel in a SoCon clash set for 4 p.m.
Wofford Remains a Game Back of ETSU With Win at VMI
Cameron Hall has not been the easiest place for Wofford to play in its basketball history, however, the Terriers notched a 10th-straignt win over VMI with relative ease with a 63-46 win over the Keydets Wednesday night to notch a key road Southern Conference win.
With its seventh-straight victory, the Terriers improved to 15-5 overall and improved to 6-1 in Southern Conference play, while VMI dropped to 6-13 overall and 1-7 in league play.
Trevor Stumpe led the Terriers with 19 points, which was one shy of tying his career-high of 20 points established a week-and-a-half ago. For the game, Stumpe connected on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including going 3-for-4 from three-point land. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the win. He also added five rebounds and an assist. Stumpe has been a key to success for the Terriers through the first seven conference games, averaging 17.1 PPG in those contests.
Stumpe was one of three Terriers in double figures, as he was joined in double digits by Storm Murphy and Fletcher Magee, who added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Magee, who was second in the nation in three-pointers made coming into the contest, went just 1-for-10 from downtown in the win over the Keydets.
The Terriers got off to a strong start against the Keydets. After a Tyler Creammer jumper gave the Keydets an early 2-0 lead, the Terriers responded with a 14-0 run to take a 14-2 lead and were never seriously threatened the remainder of the game. That 14-0 run came on the heels of the Terriers missing their first five shots of the game.
The Terriers were stout defensively all game, including holding the Keydets to 0-for-8 from three in the opening half, while Wofford sunk 6-for-13 threes in the opening half en route to a 31-18 halftime edge. The Terriers also held the Keydets to just 13% (3-for-23) shooting from three in the game, and in the opening half, the Terriers limited the Keydets to just 30% (6-for-20) shooting from the field. The Keydets ended up managing just a 30.4% (14-of-46) shooting percentage for the game, and the 46 points marked a season-low for head coach Dan Earl's club. The one major positive for VMI was its 15-for-18 (83.3%) performance at the charity stripe.
VMI was led in the contest by Bubba Parham's 11 points, as he was the lone VMI player to visit double figures. Creammer added eight points, while guard Austin Vereen and forward Fred Iruafemi added seven points apiece.
The win by the Terriers sets up a huge SoCon matchup this weekend for the Terriers, who welcome SoCon unbeaten and winners of 11-straight East Tennessee State to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for a 7 p.m. tip-off. VMI will be on the road at Chattanooga in a battle of a pair teams looking to battle out of the bottom half of the conference. Tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m. at McKenzie Arena.
With the win, Wofford claimed a sweep of the season series against the Keydets.
Finally, in the Scenic City, Chattanooga earned its first Southern Conference win of the season after getting a 78-71 win over Samford Wednesday night in the friendly confines of McKenzie Arena.
The Mocs snapped an eight-game losing streak and improved to 7-14 overall and 1-7 in Southern Conference play, while Samford dropped to 7-14 overall and 3-5 in Southern Conference play.
Makinde London and Nat Dixon led the Mocs with 21 points apiece, and London added a school-record 19 rebounds for a resounding double-double en route to leading the Mocs to the win in front of the home folks. His 19-rebound effort led to a resounding +26 on the boards for the Mocs, who out-boarded the Bulldogs 55-29 in the contest.
Samford's Demetrius Denzel-Dyson led all scorers with 27 points, while Eric Adams contributed 11 points and 11 boards in the road setback. The win by the Mocs gives the two teams a regular-season split in the series.
The Mocs led most of the way, and went to the halftime locker room with a 15-point (37-22) advantage, which also marked the largest halftime lead of the season. The lead grew to as much as 19 points (43-24) in the second half following a London basket in the lane with 16:57 remaining.
A 17-3 run by Samford would cut Chattanooga's lead to just 46-41, following a Triston Chambers layup with 13:23 remaining, but the Mocs were resilient and responded with a 16-3 run to take the lead back to 18, at 64-46, following a Dixon jumper in the lane with 8:54 left to play.
With 5:35 remaining, the Mocs led 69-53 following anouther Dixon basket--this time a triple--however, Samford proved to be just as resilient as the Mocs, posting an 18-2 run to get within two, at 71-69, following a Denzel-Dyson triple with a little under three minutes to play. But the Mocs would be stingy on the defensive end the rest of the way, out-scoring the Mocs 7-2 the rest of the way to help first-year head coach Lamont Paris grab his first Southern Conference win.
Chattanooga will return to action Saturday, when it faces VMI in a 5 p.m. contest in the friendly confines of McKenzie Arena. Samford will also be at home, hosting red-hot UNC Greensboro at the Pete Hanna Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST Saturday night.
Notes of Interest:
--Furman, the preseason favorite of the league's media, has now lost three of its last four games in SoCon play, making Saturday's game against Western Carolina a very pivotal matchup. The Catamounts sit just a half-game behind the Paladins in the league standings, and Larry Hunter's club is never an easy out in league play. Just ask Mercer. Western Carolina has to be one of the surprises of the league season thus far, and have relied on newcomers like freshman guard Matt Halvorsen and transfer forward Mike Amius.
--Both UNCG and ETSU are once again shaping up as the two league favorites this season, and they are both doing it on the defensive end of the floor, but don't count out Wofford. The Bucs have a huge game Saturday night at Wofford, when they take their first-ever trip to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford has been pretty good wherever they play the last eight years, however, have struggled all-time against the Bucs, as Wofford is just 9-35 against ETSU all-time. However, the Terriers have five of the past seven matchups between the two, including each of past four in Spartanburg.
--Furman has struggled to get Devin Sibley going, who was the SoCon's preseason Player of the Year, since SoCon play started. Sibley is averaging just 12.7 PPG since conference play has commenced. He finished the 2016-17 season ranking sixth in the league in scoring in conference games, averaging 18.6 PPG. If he should get going, expect the Paladins to be right back in the mix. Of course SIbley gets the benefit of the doubt with his recent injury to his pinky finger on his shooting hand.
--UNCG has held all seven league opponents it has faced this season under 70 total points, and of course, are 6-1 in those games. The only loss was a 68-58 setback at ETSU back on Jan. 11.
Updated Power Rankings Following Jan. 24 Games:
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| ETSU Guard Jermaine Long/Photo Courtesy of Johnson City Press |
With its 11th-straight win, the Bucs improved to 17-4 overall and remained perfect in Southern Conference play, improving to 8-0. Mercer, the preseason pick by the league's coaches to win the SoCon, dropped to 10-11 overall and 3-5 in league play. The 11th-straight win for the Bucs is the longest winning streak since that Southern Conference championship squad of 2003-04. That squad was able to reel off 16-straight wins before succumbing in defeat to the College of Charleston, 91-89, in the final Southern Conference regular-season game and finished off a 15-1 league season.
Leading the Bucs in scoring in the win was Jalan McCloud, who scored a game-high and career-best 25 points and was among three players to score in double figures Wednesday night, and connected on 9-of-15 shots from the field, including a blistering 6-for-7 from three-point range in the win. McCloud also dished out an assist, and recorded a pair of rebounds and steals.
Joining the senior Texas Southern transfer guard in double figures were senior guards Devontavius Payne (18 pts) and Desonta Bradford (15 pts).
Mercer, which played without leading scorer and star guard Ria'n Holland, also had three in double figures, led by Desmond Ringer's 21 points on perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the field, which included hitting a shot from beyond the arc. The senior center was also 2-for-3 from the line, and also added three rebounds to his stat line. Ringer was joined in double figures by point guard Marcus Cohen, who scored 16 points and added five assists off the bench, while Demetre Rivers chipped in with 14.
Mercer had cut the ETSU to just one point (36-35) inside the final minute, as Jordan Strawberry connected on a triple. However, the Bucs finished out the half with the momentum, after McCloud canned one of his six triples in the game at the buzzer from NBA range, as the Bucs assumed a 39-35 halftime edge. Not surprisingly, the Bears out-scored the Bucs, 20-8, in points in the paint.
The second half was see a see-saw affair much like the Furman-UNCG game, until the Bucs eventually pulled away for good, and led by as many as 11 points (74-63) with just about five minutes remaining. A 9-2 run by Mercer would cut ETSU's lead to just four, at 76-72, with two minutes to play, however, four-straight free throws by Jermaine Long stretched the Bucs' lead to eight (80-72), and the Bucs to close out the nine-point win at the line.
ETSU shot a blistering 51% from the field, and were red-hot from long range, connecting on 50% (13-for-26) from three-point land. The Bucs were efficient once again from the line, posting an 82% clip (23-of-28) from the charity stripe. The Bucs recorded 18 assists on 24 made field goals.
Mercer finished shooting the ball at a 46.7% from the field, but were just 6-for-24 (25%) from beyond the arc in the game. The Bears connected on 76.5% (13-of-17) from the line. The Bears recorded 11 assists on 28 made field goals.
The Bucs return to action Saturday evening for a huge Southern Conference clash at Wofford. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Mercer returns home to Hawkins Arena to face The Citadel in a SoCon clash set for 4 p.m.
Wofford Remains a Game Back of ETSU With Win at VMI
Cameron Hall has not been the easiest place for Wofford to play in its basketball history, however, the Terriers notched a 10th-straignt win over VMI with relative ease with a 63-46 win over the Keydets Wednesday night to notch a key road Southern Conference win.
With its seventh-straight victory, the Terriers improved to 15-5 overall and improved to 6-1 in Southern Conference play, while VMI dropped to 6-13 overall and 1-7 in league play.
Trevor Stumpe led the Terriers with 19 points, which was one shy of tying his career-high of 20 points established a week-and-a-half ago. For the game, Stumpe connected on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including going 3-for-4 from three-point land. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the win. He also added five rebounds and an assist. Stumpe has been a key to success for the Terriers through the first seven conference games, averaging 17.1 PPG in those contests.
Stumpe was one of three Terriers in double figures, as he was joined in double digits by Storm Murphy and Fletcher Magee, who added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Magee, who was second in the nation in three-pointers made coming into the contest, went just 1-for-10 from downtown in the win over the Keydets.
The Terriers got off to a strong start against the Keydets. After a Tyler Creammer jumper gave the Keydets an early 2-0 lead, the Terriers responded with a 14-0 run to take a 14-2 lead and were never seriously threatened the remainder of the game. That 14-0 run came on the heels of the Terriers missing their first five shots of the game.
The Terriers were stout defensively all game, including holding the Keydets to 0-for-8 from three in the opening half, while Wofford sunk 6-for-13 threes in the opening half en route to a 31-18 halftime edge. The Terriers also held the Keydets to just 13% (3-for-23) shooting from three in the game, and in the opening half, the Terriers limited the Keydets to just 30% (6-for-20) shooting from the field. The Keydets ended up managing just a 30.4% (14-of-46) shooting percentage for the game, and the 46 points marked a season-low for head coach Dan Earl's club. The one major positive for VMI was its 15-for-18 (83.3%) performance at the charity stripe.
VMI was led in the contest by Bubba Parham's 11 points, as he was the lone VMI player to visit double figures. Creammer added eight points, while guard Austin Vereen and forward Fred Iruafemi added seven points apiece.
The win by the Terriers sets up a huge SoCon matchup this weekend for the Terriers, who welcome SoCon unbeaten and winners of 11-straight East Tennessee State to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for a 7 p.m. tip-off. VMI will be on the road at Chattanooga in a battle of a pair teams looking to battle out of the bottom half of the conference. Tip-off for that contest is set for 5 p.m. at McKenzie Arena.
With the win, Wofford claimed a sweep of the season series against the Keydets.
Finally, in the Scenic City, Chattanooga earned its first Southern Conference win of the season after getting a 78-71 win over Samford Wednesday night in the friendly confines of McKenzie Arena.
The Mocs snapped an eight-game losing streak and improved to 7-14 overall and 1-7 in Southern Conference play, while Samford dropped to 7-14 overall and 3-5 in Southern Conference play.
Makinde London and Nat Dixon led the Mocs with 21 points apiece, and London added a school-record 19 rebounds for a resounding double-double en route to leading the Mocs to the win in front of the home folks. His 19-rebound effort led to a resounding +26 on the boards for the Mocs, who out-boarded the Bulldogs 55-29 in the contest.
Samford's Demetrius Denzel-Dyson led all scorers with 27 points, while Eric Adams contributed 11 points and 11 boards in the road setback. The win by the Mocs gives the two teams a regular-season split in the series.
The Mocs led most of the way, and went to the halftime locker room with a 15-point (37-22) advantage, which also marked the largest halftime lead of the season. The lead grew to as much as 19 points (43-24) in the second half following a London basket in the lane with 16:57 remaining.
A 17-3 run by Samford would cut Chattanooga's lead to just 46-41, following a Triston Chambers layup with 13:23 remaining, but the Mocs were resilient and responded with a 16-3 run to take the lead back to 18, at 64-46, following a Dixon jumper in the lane with 8:54 left to play.
With 5:35 remaining, the Mocs led 69-53 following anouther Dixon basket--this time a triple--however, Samford proved to be just as resilient as the Mocs, posting an 18-2 run to get within two, at 71-69, following a Denzel-Dyson triple with a little under three minutes to play. But the Mocs would be stingy on the defensive end the rest of the way, out-scoring the Mocs 7-2 the rest of the way to help first-year head coach Lamont Paris grab his first Southern Conference win.
Chattanooga will return to action Saturday, when it faces VMI in a 5 p.m. contest in the friendly confines of McKenzie Arena. Samford will also be at home, hosting red-hot UNC Greensboro at the Pete Hanna Center, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. EST Saturday night.
Notes of Interest:
--Furman, the preseason favorite of the league's media, has now lost three of its last four games in SoCon play, making Saturday's game against Western Carolina a very pivotal matchup. The Catamounts sit just a half-game behind the Paladins in the league standings, and Larry Hunter's club is never an easy out in league play. Just ask Mercer. Western Carolina has to be one of the surprises of the league season thus far, and have relied on newcomers like freshman guard Matt Halvorsen and transfer forward Mike Amius.
--Both UNCG and ETSU are once again shaping up as the two league favorites this season, and they are both doing it on the defensive end of the floor, but don't count out Wofford. The Bucs have a huge game Saturday night at Wofford, when they take their first-ever trip to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford has been pretty good wherever they play the last eight years, however, have struggled all-time against the Bucs, as Wofford is just 9-35 against ETSU all-time. However, the Terriers have five of the past seven matchups between the two, including each of past four in Spartanburg.
--Furman has struggled to get Devin Sibley going, who was the SoCon's preseason Player of the Year, since SoCon play started. Sibley is averaging just 12.7 PPG since conference play has commenced. He finished the 2016-17 season ranking sixth in the league in scoring in conference games, averaging 18.6 PPG. If he should get going, expect the Paladins to be right back in the mix. Of course SIbley gets the benefit of the doubt with his recent injury to his pinky finger on his shooting hand.
--UNCG has held all seven league opponents it has faced this season under 70 total points, and of course, are 6-1 in those games. The only loss was a 68-58 setback at ETSU back on Jan. 11.
Updated Power Rankings Following Jan. 24 Games:
1. ETSU
2. Wofford
T-2 UNCG
4. Furman
5. Mercer
6. Western Carolina
7. Samford
8. Chattanooga
9. VMI
10. The Citadel
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