Three Double-Doubles Pace UNCG Women’s Basketball to Win Over Lenoir-Rhyne
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Three UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women’s basketball forwards notched double-doubles as the Spartans claimed a Friday night victory over Lenoir-Rhyne, 68-60.
Khalis Cain recorded one of the Spartans’ three double-doubles by tying a career high with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and adding 11 rebounds. Isys Grady notched a season-high in both points (11) and rebounds (11). Antoniette Emma-Nnopu tallied 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a career-high 11 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNCG jumped to a 9-4 lead through the first five minutes of the first quarter thanks to two field goals from Cain. Cain tallied another layup with 3:43 remaining to give the Spartans their largest lead, 13-6. Lenoir-Rhyne posted a 14-2 run to end the period to claim a five-point lead, 20-15.
Both sides traded field goals twice through the first two minutes of the second quarter. After Lenoir-Rhyne’s field goal at the 8:18 mark of the period, the Spartans held the Bears without a field goal for the next 4:18 of the period as UNCG cut the deficit down to four, 27-23, with 4 minutes left in the period. Akira Wiggins brought the Bears’ lead down to three points with 2:18 left on an and-one. Lenoir-Rhyne brought the lead back to five with 1:04 remaining, but Cain countered on the next possession with her 11th point of the night on a hook shot to bring the lead back to three, 32-29.
Each side alternated field goals twice through the first 2:30 of the third quarter before the Spartans posted a 5-0 run to erase Lenoir-Rhyne’s lead and post a two-point lead, 38-36, with 5:09 remaining in the period. Emma-Nnopu extended the Spartans’ lead with a pair of field goals 1:01 apart to boost UNCG’s lead to five, 44-39, with 3:09 remaining. Emma-Nnopu’s layup with 2:24 remaining elevated the Spartans’ lead to seven. Faith Price completed the Spartans’ 10-1 run, lasting 3:20, with a layup at the 1:56 mark of the period to give the Spartans a nine-point lead, 48-39. The Bears responded with a 7-0 run for nearly the final 1:46 of the period before Nitzan Amar’s basket in the final second boosted UNCG’s lead back to four, 50-46.
The Spartans’ lead hit double digits for the first time at the 8:04 mark in the fourth quarter when Amar’s layup expanded the advantage, 56-46. Kennedy Simpson’s jumper with 7:26 remaining capped UNCG’s 10-0 run that lasted 2:43 and gave the Spartans their largest lead of the night (12 points). Lenoir-Rhyne brought the lead down to six three times in the remainder of the period, but the Spartans held the advantage and extended it to ten points twice on the way to victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Spartans posted a wide 56-34 advantage over Lenoir-Rhyne in rebounds with a 21-12 edge on the offensive glass.
Those 56 rebounds are the most by the Spartans in a single game this season.
Akira Wiggins led the Spartans with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and added four rebounds and four assists.
The Spartans held a points-in-the-paint edge, 50-44.
UNCG shot 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the foul line compared to Lenoir-Rhyne’s 14-of-21 (66.7 percent)
UNCG’s 69 field goal attempts are the most by the Spartans in a game this season.
The Spartans shot 43.5 percent for the contest, including 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) shooting in the fourth quarter.
Lenoir-Rhyne was held to 10-of-37 shooting (27.0 percent) in the second half.
RECORDS
Lenoir-Rhyne: 14-0*
UNCG: 7-7
*-Game was counted as an exhibition game in Lenoir-Rhyne’s schedule and does not count towards their overall record.
UP NEXT
The Spartans open Southern Conference play Thursday, January 5 with a 7 p.m. contest at Mercer.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro