UNCG Men’s Basketball Edged By Eastern Kentucky, 68-64
RICHMOND, Ky. – The UNC Greensboro’s (UNCG) men’s basketball’s Dante Treacy posted a team-high 15 points as the Spartans dropped a Thursday afternoon contest to Eastern Kentucky, 68-64, at Baptist Health Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eastern Kentucky held a 13-8 lead through the first 5:10 of the first half sparked by an 8-0 run. That run extended to 14-4 at the 12:57 mark to give the Colonels a seven-point advantage. Keyshaun Langley responded with back-to-back three-point field goals 37 seconds apart to chop the Eastern Kentucky lead down to one. The Spartans held Eastern Kentucky without a point for 5:14 stretch of the period as UNCG claimed the lead, 20-19. Each team held a lead no larger than one possession for the remainder of the period. Mikeal Brown-Jones scored UNCG’s final four points of the period in the final two minutes to give the Spartans a brief one-point lead before Eastern Kentucky claimed a field goal with seven second left to hold the advantage at halftime, 33-32.
Both sides initiated four lead changes over the first two minutes of the second half with the Colonels holding a three-point lead after the first three minutes. Bas Leyte’s layup at the 16:29 mark sparked a 9-0 run lasting through the next 2:55 of the period to give UNCG the advantage, 48-42. Eastern Kentucky countered with an 8-0 run of its own leading up to the 12:23 mark of the period when Keondre Kennedy broke the run and tied the game, 50-50, with a pair of made free throws.
A pair of Treacy free throws and a Mohammed Abdulsalam layup put the Spartans back on top, 54-50, with 11:25 remaining. That capped a 6-0 UNCG run. The Spartans extended their lead to five with eight minutes left on Brown-Jones’ 12th point. Eastern Kentucky posted an 8-0 run in response and over the next 5:37 of the period as the Colonels reclaimed the lead 63-59. Treacy broke the drought with a pair of made free throws to cut the deficit to two. After Eastern Kentucky extended the lead back to four with 22 seconds left, Keyshaun Langley responded with a three-point field goal with 13 seconds remaining. The Colonels held their lead with three made free throws in the remaining seconds to claim the win, 68-64.
BY THE NUMBERS
Treacy posted a 4-of-9 effort from the field while shooting 5-of-6 from the foul line.
Brown-Jones finished with 12 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line. He also posted five rebounds.
Leyte contributed 10 points, shooting 5-for-7 from field goals.
Keyshaun Langley produced nine points and six rebounds.
Kennedy finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Abdulsalam added eight points and eight rebounds.
Kobe Langley notched a game-high six assists.
The Spartans shot 42.3 percent from the field for the contest, shooting exactly that percentage in each period.
UNCG held a 37-34 advantage on the glass over the Colonels.
The game totaled ten ties and 16 lead changes.
RECORDS
UNCG: 6-7
Eastern Kentucky: 7-6
UP NEXT
UNCG enters Southern Conference play with a trip to Western Carolina for a 2 p.m. contest on December 29.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro