January 12, 2012

UNCG (2-12, 1-5 SoCon) vs. College of Charleston (2-13, 1-5 SoCon), Jan. 13, 7 p.m., Fleming Gym

LiveStats: UNCGSpartans.com
Radio: WUAG 103.1 FM (Stuart Barefoot on play-by-play)
Video: Spartan All Access (free)
Pack the House Challenge: All tickets $1

UNCG vs. College of Charleston game notes

Storylines

• After giving league-leading Appalachian State a run for its money on Monday, UNCG will try to get back into the win column when it hosts College of Charleston for a Southern Conference contest on Friday in the Spartans' annual Pack the House Challenge contest. All tickets are just $1.

• The Spartans set a Fleming Gymnasium attendance mark for a women's game against the Cougars last season, as 713 fans saw UNCG top CofC 76-64 in overtime on Feb. 12, 2011.

• Either UNCG or College of Charleston will snap a lengthy losing streak Friday, as both are riding eight-game skids. The Spartans have not won since a 61-53 triumph over Samford on Dec. 3, while the Cougars haven't tasted victory since a 49-44 win over Wofford on Dec. 5. The Spartans' eight-game losing streak is their longest since a 10-game skid from January to February 2010.

• After six straight games on the road, UNCG is in the midst of a season- long four-game homestand.

• UNCG dropped an 81-66 decision to Appalachian State on Monday in a contest that was closer than the final score indicated. The Spartans kept the deficit under 10 points for much of the second half before the Apps pulled away in the closing minutes. UNCG put four players in double figures, with Breonna Patterson leading the way with 16 points. Janae' Stevenson had 14, Dayshaun Richbow had 12 and Natalie Headley had 10.

• The 66 points UNCG scored Monday were a welcome sight for the Spartans and 18.6 more than their 47.4 per-game average entering the contest. UNCG had been held under 50 in its previous five games and under 30 in two of them.

• Patterson leads UNCG in scoring with 10.3 points per game, while freshman Jarae Savage paces the squad in rebounding with 4.8 per game. Stevenson is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, with averages of 8.8 and 4.7, respectively. Richbow leads the team with 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

• UNCG and College of Charleston are the lowest scoring teams in the SoCon. The Spartans are 10th at 48.7 points per game, while the Cougars are 11th at 47.4.

• UNCG leads the series with College of Charleston, 21-11. After a stretch in which the Cougars won five out of six, the Spartans won both games last year.

• The Spartans took a 50-45 win in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 15, winning a road game in the series for the first time since 2006 and picking up their first win in TD Arena. Monique Floyd had a game-high 18 points for UNCG and Richbow iced the game at the free throw line with nine seconds left. Janae Smith had 13 points to pace the Cougars.

• UNCG completed the season sweep with the overtime win on Feb. 12. Amanda Leigh scored a career-high 30 points, all after halftime, and Sarah Folwell hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to send the game to OT. There, UNCG outscored the Cougars 16-4, opening the extra frame on a 14-0 run. Smith led CofC with 23 points.

• The Cougars are 2-13 on the season and bring a 1-5 SoCon mark into Friday's contest. CofC has faced a tough schedule this season, with contests against East Carolina, then-No. 12 Georgia, South Carolina (unranked at the time but now No. 24) and then-No. 2 Connecticut.

• CofC fell to Samford on Monday, 60-54, with the Bulldogs using a late 12-2 run to pull away. Cathryn Hardy had 15 points to lead the Cougars. Alyssa Frye had 14 points and Latisha Harris had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

• Hardy leads the Cougars in scoring at 8.6 points per game. Harris is second at 7.7 points per game and is CofC's leading rebounder at 7.9 per contest, including a SoCon-best 3.2 offensive boards per game. Jillian Brown dishes off a team-best 4.1 assists per game and leads the team with 2.2 steals per contest.

•Brown and Hardy are 1-2 in the league in minutes played. Brown logs 36.3 minutes per game, while Hardy is at 34.5 per contest.

• Spiro, the UNCG mascot, is celebrating his first birthday Sunday at the Spartans' game against Georgia Southern at Fleming Gym. When the gates open at 1 p.m., Spiro will have a pregame birthday bash for kids 12 and under that will feature other local mascots, a Spartan cake and free UNCG goodie bags for all kids in attendance. Kids 12 and under attending the pregame party will receive free entry to the game but must RSVP to wrhoneyc@uncg.edu or by calling 336-517-7939 by 5 p.m. Friday.

- UNCG -