UNCG Men’s Basketball Unstoppable on the Road, Defeats The Citadel, 79-59
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men’s basketball team remains undefeated in Southern Conference (SoCon) road games following a 20-point victory, 79-59, over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon in the McAlister Field House.
UNCG is now 6-0 in SoCon road games.
This was the 11th win of the season by double figures for the Spartans and second-straight game winning by 20 points. This is the fifth game this season, where UNCG has won by 20 or more points.
Five from UNCG scored double digits in the victory, including Keyshaun Langley(Southwest Guilford High School) who tallied a game high of 19 points. Keondre Kennedy followed with 18 points. Joryam Saizonou chipped in a career-high 14 points, while Mohammed Abdulsalam and Bas Leyte each scored 10 points.
Abdulsalam led the game with 12 rebounds for his second-straight double-double after tallying 15 points and 16 rebounds at Mercer on Thursday. The 10 points and 12 boards against the Bulldogs make it his third double-double of the season and fourth of his career.
From Head Coach Mike Jones
“I like how the guys have been able to respond to these two games on the road. Our defense and rebounding both took a nice jump, which is what we have to do this month. Mo has really set the tone, and our team has followed. I’m proud of the growth in our leadership lately. We have to keep that going.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Abdulsalam and Jalen Breath got the Spartans on the board to start the game, 4-0, but the Bulldogs went on a 10-5 run for a one-point lead, 10-9. UNCG took the lead back with four-straight points, but The Citadel responded with a three pointer from David Maynard to tie the game at 13 with 10:05 left in the half. A Spartan 11-2 run in three minutes, where Kennedy and Saizonou hit threes, extended the lead to nine, 24-15. UNCG saw a nine-point advantage two more times before heading to the locker room, for a halftime score of 38-29.
A seven-point run at the start of the second half put the Spartans up by double figures for the first time this game, 45-29. The Citadel was scoreless for two minutes, as the Spartans climbed to a 20-point lead. The Bulldogs never saw the lead in the second half. UNCG’s largest lead of 24 came with 11:12 left in the game, where Saizonou had eight of nine points to get to that advantage, 63-39. The Bulldogs’ offense scored 20 points in the final nine minutes, but the Spartans’ defense kept up to claim the 20-point win, 79-59.
BY THE NUMBERS
Abdulsalam went 5-for-7 in field goals.
Keyshaun(Southwest Guilford High School) led the game with four steals, while Kobe Langley(Southwest Guilford High School) had three.
In 19 minutes of play, Saizonou went 4-for-4 in field goals, 3-for-3 in three pointers, and 3-for-3 in free throws.
Kennedy shot 6-for-9 in field goals, 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
UNCG outscored the Bulldogs 34-16 in the paint and 22-9 in points off turnovers.
The Spartans also had 19 second-chance points, compared to the Bulldogs’ nine.
UNCG now leads the series 36-10 and is on an 18-1 advantage in the last 19 games played against The Citadel, dating back to February 7, 2015.
From Coach Jones
“It’s that time in the season where mental preparation is more important than physical preparation, so even though we have one less day to prepare for ETSU, we have to lock in mentally, and then execute it on the floor. That’s the mark of a mature team. We will see if we are there.”
RECORDS
UNCG: 16-9, 10-2 SoCon
The Citadel: 9-16, 4-8 SoCon
UP NEXT
The Spartans have a quick turnaround as they host ETSU on Tuesday, February 7 at the Greensboro Coliseum with a start time of 7 p.m. This game will be broadcast on ESPNU. It is also UNCG’s Gold Rush game where the first 1,000 students will receive a FREE t-shirt.
UNCG then hosts Wofford on Sunday, February 12 at 3 p.m.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro