Georgia Southern (4-8, 2-2) at UNCG (2-11, 1-3), 7 pm TONIGHT

Storylines

• UNCG hosts Georgia Southern, finally returning home. The Spartans have played six of their last seven away from Fleming Gym, playing just once at home in a span of nearly six weeks.

 

• UNCG leads the all-time series, 8-7. UNCG has won three of the last four, including the last two at Fleming Gym. The Eagles won a thriller in Statesboro last February, 80-78, after the Spartans won the first meeting in January, 79-67.

 

• Stat to watch: UNCG’s Mikko Koivisto is 11-18 from three-point range (61.1 percent) in four career games against the Eagles (9.8 ppg).

 

UNCG’s Damian Eargle had 25 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Appalachian State – the most points by a Spartan freshman in 16 seasons.

• The Spartans are coming off an 85-83 overtime win at Appalachian State last Saturday afternoon. UNCG rallied from down seven with 5:23 to play in regulation and survived a buzzer-beater three-pointer that forced overtime. The Spartans shot a season-best 51.7 percent from the floor, including 19-32 after halftime (59.4 percent). UNCG committed just 10 turnovers in the game, leading to a season-low nine points by the opposition. That was nearly eight turnovers below their average entering the contest.

 

•Damian Eargle’s 25 points against Appalachian State were the most by a Spartan freshman since Scott Hartzell scored 25 in an overtime win at Chicago State back on February 1, 1993.

 

• UNCG announced on Dec. 5 that it will move its home games to the Greensboro Coliseum beginning next season. The arena will be modified to a seating capacity of 7,613 for most home games, with at least two expandable options being available. The full capacity of the venue is 23,500.

 

• UNCG has used 10 different starting line-up in 13 games this season – using the same lineup in the last two contests. All 10 scholarship players on the active roster have started at multiple games thus far and none have started every game. All 10 are averaging double figure minutes, as well –from Ben Stywall’s 31.5 per game down to DeAngelo Jackson’s 11.1 per contest.

 

• Junior forward Mikko Koivisto had his streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer snapped at 33 straight against Akron on Dec. 31. It was the second-longest streak in school history and the third longest active streak in the nation at the time. Prior to the Akron game, his last game without a trey came back on Dec. 4, 2007 at Virginia Tech. Koivisto was 0-for-6 from behind the arc, scoring just four points (his lowest total since the Virginia Tech game last season).

 

• Turnovers have been a problem for a good part of this season for the Spartans. UNCG has had more turnovers than field goals in a game four times this season. UNCG is 311th in the nation in turnovers per game at 17.1 (through Monday’s action). The opposition has also had 20 or more points off of turnovers in 10 of the 12 games (1-9 record in those contests). However, in last Saturday’s win over Appalachian State, UNCG had just 10 turnovers, resulting in just nine points (a season-low).

 

• Mikko Koivisto has made 87 of his last 97 at the foul line going back to the latter half of his freshman season and is now 111-130 from the line for his career (85.4%). He leads the SoCon in free throw percentage this season at 88.1% (37 of 42).

 

• Ben Stywall has had six games with double-digit rebounds already this season, including four double-doubles (tied for third in the SoCon). Stywall is sixth in the SoCon in rebounding at 8.5 per contest. He is now in the Top 10 in school history in career rebounds with 498. Only eight players in school history have recorded 500 or more.

 

• Mikko Koivisto needs 46 points to move into the Top 30 in career scoring at UNCG. He enters today with 738 points, which also ranks ninth among active SoCon players.

 

• UNCG has two active players climbing the career 3-point field goal lists. Mikko Koivisto has 167 entering tonight (fourth), while Kendall Toney has 121 (11th).