GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Furman Paladins shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half Monday and pulled away from an eight-point halftime lead to an 81-68 win over UNCG at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Spartans (0-7, 0-2 Southern Conference) endured a six-minute scoreless stretch spanning halftime and couldn't cut into the resulting deficit appreciably. Brandon Evans led UNCG with 16 points and Kyle Randall had 11.

Coach Mike Dement, whose team returns to action with a game at Maryland on Wednesday, said he was encouraged by the start to Monday's contest. The Spartans owned a 24-21 lead on Brian Cole's stick-back with 3:04 left in the first half before running into trouble.

Jordan Miller scored 26 points and Noah States added 20 for Furman (5-2, 2-0).  

UNCG put together a strong offensive second half of its own, responding to a 50-36 deficit by going 9-for-12 from the floor at one stage, but the Paladins didn't wilt. In jumping out to the comfortable lead, which they secured by outscoring the Spartans 18-0 in the decisive period, they compelled UNCG to scramble defensively. Furman (5-2, 2-0) often beat the Spartans' traps before they materialized, and that facilitated a 5-for-7 shooting stretch from the 3-point line.

Furman scored on seven straight possessions and 11 of 12 to fend off the Spartans' hopes of a comeback.

Randall's assertive second half helped UNCG shoot 48.5 percent from the floor after the break, and his ability to create off the dribble should benefit center Aloysius Henry on most nights. On this one, Henry got in early foul trouble and was limited to 21 minutes of action.

The Spartans began the night by gumming up the Paladins' offensive flow with hands in passing lanes and help and recovery off screens. UNCG's early turnovers weren't of great concern; the defensive improvement was welcomed.

Defensive communication has been Dement's chief point of emphasis for a young team facing one of the nation's most challenging schedules.

UNCG doesn't get much of a break. Having already played Florida State and Virginia Tech, the Spartans must now get ready for the Terrapins.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Zach Urbanus scored a game-high 15 points to lead five players in double digits as The Citadel captured a 72-64 victory over St. Mary's College (Md.) to wrap up a three-game in six-day homestand. Cameron Wells (14 points), Austin Dahn (11 points), Bryan Streeter (11 points) and Mike Groselle (10 points) also reached double figures. As a team the Bulldogs converted 27-of-54 field goals, knocking down 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, to top the 50-percent mark for the first time this season.

All five players in double figures hit four or more field goals, led by Urbanus' 6-for-10 outing. Urbanus finished 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, marking the sixth game in which he has finished with multiple treys this season. Groselle finished 5-for-8 from the field, while the trio of Dahn, Streeter and Wells all managed four field goals. Streeter and Groselle were key cogs in the middle for The Citadel with eight and seven rebounds respectively. The Cadets crashed the boards for 34 total rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Junior Cosmo Morabbi proved to be valuable off the bench, which outscored the Seahawks 20-17, scoring seven points and dishing out a game-high five assists. With the victory The Citadel improves to 3-5 overall.

St. Mary's College was led in scoring by the efforts of Alex Franz (25 points) and Sam Burum (15 points). Franz, who scored 17 second half points, finished 11-of-18 from the floor and 3-for-7 from long distance. The Seahawks finished deadlocked with The Citadel in rebounds, 34-34, behind eight boards by Burum. The combination of Franz and Burum shared a game-high three steals as the Seahawks press defense forced 11 total steals.  St. Mary's College leaves with a 5-2 overall record.

The Citadel scored six straight points over a 1:43 stretch of the second half, expanding the lead to 45-30, before nine consecutive points by Franz brought the Seahawks to within six points. After a Groselle layup, Burum scored the next three St. Mary's points to pull within five, 47-42 with 12:44 remaining.

Chuck Driesell's squad responded with a 17-8 run over a span of 5:59, sparked by eight points from Urbanus. Urbanus hit two 3-pointers during the stretch and along with buckets by Groselle, Dahn, Morabbi and Eykyn the lead blossomed to 64-48 with 6:45 on the clock.

The Seahawks responded to a pair of Franz 3-pointers with a 16-3 run that spanned 5:12 of the contest and pulled within three points, 67-64, on a Kyle Jarczynski layup with 1:14 remaining. Just over 30 seconds later Wells knocked down a key 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to push the lead back to six points. Dahn added the insurance free throws as The Citadel emerged victorious, 72-64. Wells 14 points moves him within 38 points of becoming the school's all-time scorer.

Wells scored a game-high nine points followed by the combination of Streeter (eight) and Urbanus (seven) as the Bulldogs took a 39-30 lead into the intermission. Streeter added five rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, to lead a unit that finished with 19 total rebounds. The Citadel converted 15-of-31 field goal attempts (.484), including a pair of 3-pointers by Urbanus and Dahn.

Franz and Davenport shared team-high marks for the Seahawks with eight points followed by Barum's six points to go along with four rebounds. St. Mary's was successful on 12-of-27 field goal attempts, hitting 2-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, led by Franz who was 4-of-7 from field goal range.

The senior combination of Wells and Streeter gave The Citadel an early 9-0 cushion over the first 3:09 of play. The lead grew to 18-5 following an Urbanus 3-pointer at the 13:38 mark before Jeff Haus and Alex Franz scored nine points during a 9-5 run that cut the Bulldogs lead to 23-16 with 9:22 remaining in the first half.

The back-and-forth affair continued over a four minute stretch before the inside game of Streeter, Groselle and Eykyn, who combined to score the final 10 points, gave the Bulldogs a 39-30 halftime advantage. 

The Bulldogs now head into an 11-day break for exams before playing on the road against Colorado on Dec. 17.