By Joseph Abraham, Editor-in-Chief

Published in print Feb. 25, 2015

The 2060 fans who watched the Men’s Basketball team this past Sunday ecstatically exited the Greensboro Coliseum as UNCG defeated Furman in a Sunday matinee blowout.

The Spartans shocked many not simply by beating the Paladins, but that the final result was a score of 84-49.

In their overwhelming success the team won their first game since the first week of February.

The 35-point win is the largest margin of victory ever recorded by the Men’s Basketball program.

The win put an end to the team’s three game losing streak, as the Spartans lost heartbreakers to East Tennessee State and Mercer the previous weekend, while most recently falling to Wofford by 15 points last Thursday.

R.J. White set the tone early, making all four of his three point attempts in the first half, finishing the game with 18 points. White also finished with nine rebounds.

Kayel Locke also had a strong night in the paint, finishing with 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Locke and White’s dominance in the post was crucial in this game, especially with Jordy Kuiper out nursing an injury.

In the contest, UNC-Greensboro faced an early 10-6 deficit.

However, once the Spartans went on a hot streak from beyond the arc, the Paladins didn’t stand a chance.

The Blue and Gold made a season-high 15 3-pointers on 25 attempts, to finish the match-up with an impressive 60 percent b=from beyond three.

Nicholas Paulos led the team in made 3-point attempts, going 5-for-6 and scoring 15 points.

Paulos only needs six points to become the 21st member of the 1,000-point club.

Wes Miller’s squad made 9 of their 3-pointers in the first half, which was the main reason for their 16 point lead at half time.

At the beginning of the second half, the Furman’s night went from bad to worse, as they allowed UNCG to go on a 10-3 run, increasing their lead to 23 points.

In an uncgspartans.com interview, Coach Miller spoke about the team’s offensive success.

“I thought we shot it exceptionally today,” Miller said.

“I think the guys are starting to get a little more confidence and we shared the ball better, which got us better looks.”

In addition to UNCG’s offensive success, Furman did not make things any easier for themselves.

The Paladins struggled offensively the entire game, shooting a disappointing 29.6 percent in the first half, and 37 percent for the game.

While the Spartans played a good game, they will need to improve on their free throw shooting.

The team made only 7-of-12 free throws, 58.3 percent.

With an overall record of 9-20, the Blue and Gold currently sit at the ninth spot in the Southern Conference standings.

The Spartans will need to win their remaining games to have a shot at earning the sixth and final bye during the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament.

VMI also needs to lose out, as one more win would eliminate UNCG from bye contention.

Neither game will be easy, as UNCG has already lost to Samford and Chattanooga this season.

Chattanooga will be the biggest challenge for the team, as they are currently the second seed in the Southern Conference, with a record of 20-9.

The pressure will mount for UNC-Greensboro as they close out the season with home games against Samford tomorrow night at 7 p.m., and Chattanooga on Saturday at 5 p.m.