Men’s Basketball Falls to VMI in SoCon Quarterfinals, 64-57
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team fell in The Southern Conference (SoCon) Quarterfinal matchup with the VMI Keydets on Saturday afternoon, 64-57, at Harrah's Cherokee Center.
Ronald Polite III led the Spartans with 18 points and Demetrius Davis followed closely behind with 15 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Davis got the scoring started in the contest with a second-chance turnaround jumper at 18:07 for the 2-0 advantage. However, VMI responded with a 10-2 run to take a 10-4 lead and hold the advantage the remainder of the game. With 1:36 remaining, VMI's Augustinas Kiudulas went 2-for-2 at the free throw line before Polite III chipped in a second-chance jumper to bring UNCG back within nine, 28-19, to close out the first half.
VMI knocked down a couple free throws coming out of the locker room before UNCG notched five-straight points to cut its deficit to five, 30-25. VMI's Rickey Bradley responded with a three-pointer on the other end to put the Keydets up 33-25. Kenyon Giles knocked down a triple of his own at 17:17 to begin a 7-0 Spartan run to make it a one-point game, 33-32. Both teams traded layups before VMI recorded a 5-0 run to bump its lead back up to six, 40-34. With VMI on top, 56-52, Polite III recorded a three-point play to make it a three-point game, 60-57. Rickey went 2-for-2 at the free throw line two consecutive times to grant the Keydets with the 64-57 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Jalen Breath led UNCG with eight rebounds.
- Malik Henry chipped in nine points and led the team with two blocks.
- Miles Jones paced the Spartans with two assists.
- UNCG bested VMI in points in the paint (34-32) and bench points (15-0).
- VMI outnumbered UNCG in points off turnovers (10-6).
- The Keydets and Spartans tied in fast break points (4-4) and second chance points (12-12).
RECORDS
UNCG: 20-12, 13-5 SoCon
VMI: 15-18, 7-11 SoCon
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The Spartans wrapped up the season with a 20-12 overall record and 13-5 in the conference. This was the eighth year in Jones' time as a head coach with 20 or more wins and third-straight season with 20 or more wins in the Blue & Gold. Giles was named to the All-SoCon First Team, while Donovan Atwell was voted to the All-SoCon Third Team.
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