By Brandon Boyer, Staff Writer

Published in print Jan. 28, 2015

After a week of two road games, the men’s basketball team has a record of six wins and 15 losses. Though the team has a lot of decently talented players, it seems that the form of the Spartans of old has resurfaced under head coach Wes Miller.

In the final three and a half seasons under Mike Dement’s reign as men’s basketball coach for UNCG, from 2008 to the end of 2011, the Spartans won 22 games and lost 80. That’s a winning percentage of .216 prior to Wes Miller being brought in during the 2011-12 season. Now, Coach Miller has had a roller coaster ride in form since taking over UNCG. With the 2012-13 season looking very much like this one, finishing 9-22 (6-12 in conference), Miller has guided the team to 34 wins and 51 losses since the 2011-12 season, with a winning percentage right around .400.

What makes this interesting is that the team itself has had near-.500 seasons in his first and third years in charge, while being unwatchable in the second and now fourth year with his command. This is, by no means, a level of consistency, but UNCG is a sub-par basketball school in a mid-major conference that produces a star or two every graduation cycle. So expectations are not exactly high.

With that in mind, the Spartans traveled to Alabama to face off against Samford in a high scoring affair for both sides last Thursday.

Euro-stepping guard, Tevon Saddler, returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games through injury and played like a fearsome, fouling dynamo. Saddler came out of the gates on fire, scoring 14 points in the first 11 minutes of the game, but could not keep his high-level energy under control and fouled out after just 26 minutes. He finished the game 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

With Saddler and RJ White dominating the first half, Samford’s switch to a zone defense towards the end of the half, shut down UNCG entirely, leading to a 22-6 run from the Bulldogs, who finished the half up 43-35.

UNCG would never see the lead again, as a leaky defense and numerous turnovers killed any momentum the Spartans had at several different points in the second half.

With Samford hitting their free throws and the Spartans ineffectual on both ends of the floor, it was a closed case and the hosts maintained their lead to capture the win by the final score of 89-78.

Less than 48 hours later, the Spartans took a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee to face off against the Mocs at the McKenzie Arena.

Though UNCG put in one of their best performances of the season, shooting 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point land, it was foul trouble and free throws that ultimately put the bow on a disappointing pair of games away from The Coliseum.

Saddler continued to show the hot hand since his return, scoring 22 points from 16 attempts from the floor, plus going 3-of-5 from the free throw line. Diante Baldwin and Kayel Locke both chipped in with 12 points a piece, but the story of the night for the UNCG was 6’6” freshman guard Marvin Smith. Smith came off the bench and scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds, just barely missing out on a double-double in 26 minutes of action.

Though UNCG scored and rebounded well, foul trouble was the name of the game. Specifically, it was the disparity between free throw attempts between the Mocs and UNCG that changed the face of the game. Chattanooga had 38 attempts from the free throw line, scoring 24 of them. Greensboro only had 13 attempts, scoring a scarcely believable seven attempts.

The game finished 81-72 in favor of the Mocs. With two losses on the bounce, UNCG comes home to The Coliseum, where they will face off versus conference co-leaders, Wofford. Tip-off is set for Thursday evening at 7 p.m.