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| Matt Rafferty (Furman) and James Dickey (UNCG)/Photo by John Hooper |
UNCG Completes Season Sweep of Furman
Marvin Smith, Jr. led five UNC Greensboro players in double figures, scoring a game-high 18 points, as the Spartans completed the season sweep over Furman, with an 80-67 Southern Conference win Wednesday night at Timmons Arena.
With the win, UNCG improves to 18-6 overall and 9-2 in SoCon play, while Furman, which dropped its second-straight game, fell to 16-9 overall and 7-5 in SoCon action. The loss marked Furman's third-straight to UNC Greensboro in the series.
Smith finished the contest connecting on 4-of-9 shots from the field, including going 2-for-4 from three-point land and was 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. Smith also added three rebounds and a block to his overall stat line.
James Dickey was for a second-straight season instrumental on the boards, duplicating last season's total of 12 rebounds in which he helped the Spartans snap Furman's 10-game winning streak. Tonight, Dickey helped the Spartans out-rebound Furman 38-17, helping the Spartans claim a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points and a 40-34 advantage in points in the paint. With his 11 points, Dickey recored his third double-double of the season, including his second in Southern Conference play. Dickey also added a steal and an assist.
UNCG led from wire-to-wire and were only really seriously threatened twice in each half before stretching the lead back to a comfortable distance on both occasions.
In the opening half of play, the Spartans got off to a fast start, running out to a quick 8-0 lead in the game and would eventually stretch that lead to as much as 14, at 21-7, with 12:08 left in the half following a Jordy Kuiper triple.
Furman, however, would storm back, mounting a 22-10 run to cut the Spartans' lead to 31-29 following a Matt Rafferty layup with 3:23 remaining in the half. UNCG would eventually end the half with a 36-31 lead following a banked in three from Kyrin Galloway and a layup from Francis Alonso. Furman's last two points of the half came from John Davis III layup, which was sandwiched in-between the Galloway triple and Alonso layup.
Just like the opening minutes of the game, UNCG started the second half fast, opening the second frame with a quick 5-0 run to quickly take the Spartan lead back to double-digits, at 41-31, following a Smith jumper with 17:59 remaining in the game, prompting Furman head coach Bob Richey to take a timeout.
Following the timeout, Furman mounted 9-2 run following the timeout to cut the Spartans' lead to three, at 43-40, after a Davis layup with 15:38 remaining. However, it would turn out to be as close as the Paladins would get the rest of the game, as the Spartans would stretch the lead back to double digits following a Demetrius Troy triple with 8:14 remaining, as it completed a mini 17-9 run following a UNCG timeout, making it a 60-49 Spartan lead.
UNCG's lead would grow to as much as 19 with 3:16 to play, at 74-55, after a Kuiper dunk. Furman would never get within striking distance again, dropping its second straight conference game, and with the Paladins' fifth loss in league play, it eclipses last season's total of four league losses.
The Paladins were led in scoring by Andrew Brown, who suffered a groin injury last week, and his availability was unknown coming into today, as he finished with 15 points and was one of two Paladins in double-figures. The junior from Travelers Rest, S.C., finished the night connecting on 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. He was also 1-for-2 from the line and contributed three steals, two assists and two boards in the loss. The only other Paladin in double figures in the contest was senior guard Daniel Fowler, who finished with 12 points to go with three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
For the second time against the Spartans, preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Devin Sibley was held to six points against UNCG for the second time this season. Sibley, who scored six points in the first half, was held scoreless in the second half.
Smith and Dickey were joined in double figures by Troy and Alonso, who finished with 12 points apiece, while Kuiper added 10. Troy led the Spartans with five assists, while Alonso added four helpers.
The Spartans finished the game connecting on 53.6% (31-of-54) of their shots from the field, while hitting 40% (8-of-20) from three-point range and connected on 85.7% (12-of-14) from the charity stripe.
The Paladins finished shooting 50% (25-of-50) from the field, including 33.3% (8-for-24) from beyond the arc. The Paladins struggled from the free throw line, finishing the contest by connecting on just 60% (9-of-15) from the charity stripe.
In addition to advantages in rebounding, second-chance points and points in the paint, UNCG held advantages in fast-break points (14-13) and points off turnovers (15-9). Furman held a 20-17 edge in bench points.
The Paladins recorded 25 baskets on 14 assists, while the Spartans finished with posted 14 assists on 30 made buckets. Furman forced 16 UNCG turnovers, while the Spartans forced Furman to cough up the basketball 10 times.
Furman returns to action Saturday afternoon, hosting Wofford in a key Southern Conference tilt, with tip-off for that contest slated for 4:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena, while UNCG will be back on the court Saturday, welcoming Western Carolina to the Greensboro Coliseum, with tip-off time for that contest set for 5 p.m.
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| Wofford guard Nathan Hoover/Photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics |
Wofford Ends Two-Game Skid
Guards Fletcher Magee and Nathan Hoover combined to score 50 of the Wofford's 92 points, as the Terriers earned a hard-fought, 92-79, Southern Conference win Wednesday night at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
With the win, the Terriers improved to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in Southern Conference action, while Samford fell to 8-18 overall and 4-9 in league play.
Magee finished the night with 27 points, while Hoover added a career-high 23 points in the win. Magee connected on 10-of-17 shots from the field, including going 4-for-10 from three-point land, and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the line. Magee added five rebounds and three steals, a block and five assists to overall stat line.
Hoover was able to connect on 8-of-12 shots from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range and was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Additionally, Hoover added four rebounds, an assist and a steal to his overall scoring production. Magee and Hoover represented two of five Terrier players in double figures, with Trevor Stumpe (16 pts), Storm Murphy (10 pts) and Cameron Jackson (10 pts) rounding out the double figure scorers.
The Terriers found themselves trailing, 45-40, at the break, as the opening half of basketball was a half of runs for both teams. Wofford started out the game strong, getting out to an early eight-point lead, at 15-7, following a layup from Murphy with 14:30 remaining, prompting a Scott Padgett timeout.
However, the Bulldogs would find their way back into game following the short respite, with a Justin Coleman jumper, however, the Terriers would double their lead to 18-9 following a three-pointer by Terrier freshman guard Tray Hollowell with 13:49 remaining in the half. Wofford's lead would grow to as many as 12 points (30-18) over the next six minutes before Samford finished the half strong.
Over the final 7:51 of the opening half, the Bulldogs would out-score the Terriers 27-10 to take the five-point halftime lead. The Bulldogs capped the impressive eight-minute shooting display with a Demetrius Denzel-Dyson three-pointer with eight seconds remaining in the frame. Just three-and-a-half minutes earlier, the Bulldogs assumed their first lead of the game when sophomore guard Josh Sharkey converted a layup in the paint to give the Bulldogs a 35-34 lead.
In the second half, the Terriers were red-hot from the field and after seeing the Bulldogs blister the nets for 59.3% (16-for-27) from the field in the first half, which included a 54.5% clip from three-point land (6-for-11), the Terriers countered in the second half by shooting a sizzling 61.5% (16-of-26), including shooting 54.5% (6-for-11) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Terrier defense muzzled the Bulldogs in the second frame, holding Samford to just 34.5% (11-of-32) from the field, as the Terriers out-scored the visiting opposition by 18 points (52-34) in the second frame.
For the game, Wofford shot the ball at an impressive 57.4% clip (31-of-54), and hit 14 triples to finish the game connecting on 48.3% (14-of-29) from long range. The Terriers also shot 69.6% (16-of-23) from the charity stripe.
Samford finished the night connecting on 45.8% (27-of-59) from the field, including 39.3% (11-for-28) from three-point land. The Bulldogs shot the ball at an impressive 93.3% (14-of-15) from the charity stripe.
The Terriers posted overall advantages in points off turnovers (16-13), second chance points (10-7) and fast-break points (19-7), while the Bulldogs claimed favorable decisions in points in the paint (28-24) and bench points (10-6). The Terriers claimed a decisive margin on the backboards, out-boarding the Bulldogs by 11 (36-25). The Terriers turned the ball over 12 times, while Samford committed nine miscues. Samford had 18 assists on 27 made field goals, while Wofford finished the contest with 22 assists to compliment 31 made baskets.
Like Wofford, the Bulldogs had five players finish in double figures, led by Denzel-Dyson's 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-9 mark from long range. Denzel-Dyson also totaled eight rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded a steal. He was joined in double figures by Eric Adams (16 pts), Coleman (13 pts), Chambers (13 pts) and Sharkey (10 pts). Coleman narrowly missed a double-double, dishing out a game-high nine assists.
Magee's team-leading scoring performance marked the 19th time this season he has led the Terriers in points, while his 27 points marked the junior's league-leading 16th effort of 20 or more points in a game this season. It also marked the seventh time in which the Orlando native has scored 20 or more points in a game against SoCon opposition.
Wofford will return to the floor Saturday when it travels to meet I-85 rival Furman at Timmons Arena, with tip-off set for 4:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena. Samford will host The Citadel in an 8 p.m. EST tip-off Saturday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.
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