GREENSBORO, N.C. – Freshman
Marcus Banks led three Western Carolina players in double figures with 13 points, but UNCG used a pair of 11-0 runs in both halves to emerge with a 73-64 Southern Conference win on Wednesday night inside the Greensboro Coliseum.
UNCG improves to 17-12 overall and 9-8 in the Southern Conference while Western Carolina falls to 10-20 and 4-13.
In addition to Banks' 13 points,
Joe Petrakis finished in double figures with 11 points followed by
Marlow Gilmore with 10. Gilmore led the Catamounts on the glass with eight rebounds while
Cam Bacote dished out a team-best five assists along with seven points.
Dante Treacy paced UNCG with a game-high 24 points. Kobe Langley added 14 points with De'Monte Buckingham contributing 12. Mohammed Abdulsalam snagged a team-best eight rebounds.
WCU scampered out to an 8-3 advantage in the opening four minutes aided by 3-pointers from
Tyler Harris and Petrakis. Following a Bacote trey that gave WCU a 10-6 advantage at the 14:48 mark, a Treacy 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run that gave the hosts a 17-10 advantage midway through the half. After a
Marvin Price 3-pointer cut the Catamount deficit to four, 17-13, the Spartans used an 8-0 spurt for a 25-13, with just over eight minutes remaining before the half.
The Catamounts got no closer than nine points for the remainder of the opening stanza as Langley sank a 3-pointer just before time expired to send UNCG into halftime with a 41-28 advantage. The Spartans made 15 of 29 shots (51.7 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes including 10 3-pointers.
Harris opened the second half scoring with a 3-pointer 90 seconds into the frame. Leading 45-35, UNCG then went on its second 11-0 run of the game to take a game-high 21-point lead, 56-35, following a 3-pointer by Keyshaun Langley at the 12:16 mark. WCU responded with a double-digit run of its own, a 13-2 spurt capped by a Banks 3-pointer to cut the UNCG lead to 10 points, 58-48, with 8:13 to play. However, the Catamounts were unable to pull within single digits until the waning seconds as UNCG maintained a lead that stayed between 10 and 14 points for all but the final four seconds.
UNCG finished 24-for-51 (47.1 percent) from the field, 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) behind the 3-point line, and 13-for-20 (65 percent) at the free throw line. WCU was 21-for-53 (39.6 percent) from the field, 10-for-19 (52.6 percent) behind the arc, and 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) in free throw attempts. The Spartans outrebounded WCU 34-32.
WCU returns home to conclude the 2021-22 regular season on Saturday night, welcoming VMI to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Catamounts will recognize
Nicholas Robinson as well as pair of student managers in senior night ceremonies before the game. Additionally, WCU Hall of Fame member Ronnie Carr will be recognized at Saturday's game in commemoration of the first 3-point basket in NCAA history.
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