Brandon Vestri
The UNCG Spartans Men’s Basketball Team continued their hot streak of three consecutive wins on Wednesday night, facing off against the Western Carolina Catamounts at the Greensboro Coliseum. With both teams at 19-9 on the season, it was a massive win for the Spartans, especially as college basketball is heating up for March Madness.
During the first half, UNCG showed that momentum was on their side, taking control of the game from the tip-off. The score was 31-26 in favor of UNCG at halftime. After the break, the Spartans continued to show determination, expanding their lead to double digits while their defense gave Western Carolina issues. Unfortunately, just as fast as the momentum can build, it can also come to a halt.
With around 10 minutes remaining, the Catamounts started to develop their offense. As the minutes ticked off the clock, UNCG’s lead continued to shrink until Western Carolina managed to take the lead for the first time since the early minutes of the first half. Western Carolina put up a hard charge over the final minutes, but the Spartans managed to hang on and win, 71-65. UNCG built their tournament résumé by moving to 20-8 on the season.
Seniors Mikeal Brown-Jones and Keyshaun Langley led the way for the Spartans with 19 points each, with sophomore Donovan Atwell just behind with 15 points. While the two seniors again contributed most of UNCG’s scoring in their Saturday game against Mercer, the win streak ended. Mercer prevailed at home, 86-72. The 20-9 Spartans return home on Wednesday, facing off against VMI, before finishing the regular season on March 2 against East Tennessee State.
THE CAROLINIAN 