BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team dropped a close battle to Samford, 76-69, in The Southern Conference (SoCon) action on Saturday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.  
 
Donovan Atwell paced the Spartans with 19 points and Kenyon Giles was second with 12 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Giles made the Spartans' first four points of the game as UNCG held a two-point lead, 5-3, with 17:31 on the clock. Samford drained its second three-pointer at 17:10 for the Bulldogs' second lead, 6-5. A four-point play from Giles gave the Spartans a three-point lead, 9-6, at the 15:52 mark. Samford went on a 19-6 run which gave them a 10-point edge, 25-15, with 6:07 left in the first half. Demetrius Davis's jumper at 5:08 cut the deficit to eight, 25-17. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way as Samford went into the break with an eight-point advantage, 36-28.
 
The Bulldogs doubled their lead to 51-33 in the first five minutes of the second half for a 16-point gap, their largest of the game. UNCG scored seven straight points to come within nine, 51-42, with 13:07 on the clock. Samford maintained a double-digit lead until Ronald Polite III completed a three-point play to begin an 11-4 run for the Spartans who came within five, 63-58. UNCG continued to fight back after each Samford possession, but the Bulldogs were able to close out the win with two free throws from Rylan Jones.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Malik Henry led UNCG with five rebounds.
• Joryam Saizonou registered a team-high five assists.
• Polite III chipped in four assists, four rebounds and five points.
• Giles added three steals.
• Both teams had 28 points in the paint.
• Samford had the advantage in points off turnovers (12-14), second chance points (11-9), fastbreak points (16-11) and bench points (20-18).
• UNCG had the slight edge in three-point percentage (38.9-37.5), while Samford clipped the Spartans in field goal percentage (48.1-46.8) and free throw percentage (73.9-72.0).

 
RECORDS
UNCG: 10-7, 3-1 SoCon
Samford: 14-3, 4-0 SoCon
 
TICKETS
To secure your tickets for UNCG men's basketball home games click HERE for options including single games and group discounts, flex plans, and full season ticket options.  The home basketball schedule includes eight (8) home games at First Horizon Coliseum and Six (6) home games at Fleming Gymnasium. To learn more about upcoming ticket promotions or to purchase over the phone call the UNCG Ticket Office at 336-334-3250. 
 
PURCHASE UNCG GEAR
UNCGgear.com is your one-stop shop for all of your official UNCG merchandise! From apparel to accessories, there is something for everyone!
 
UP NEXT
UNCG returns home to host The Citadel on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the First Horizon Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. Military and First Responders Appreciation: Military and First responders receive free admission with valid work ID and up to four of their guests receive the discounted ticket rate of $10!
 
The Spartans will then travel to Cullowhee, North Carolina, on Saturday, Jan. 18 to contend Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center.