MADRID, Spain – The UNCG men’s basketball team opened their 2013 Spain trip Saturday with an 82-62 loss to the National Team of Angola, which featured 13 professional players, at the Torrejon de Ardoz in Madrid. Angola has won nine of the past 11 African Championships and has qualified for the Olympics in five of the past six games. The game was played with international basketball rules and had four 10-minute quarters.
Junior guard Nicholas Paulos led the Spartans with 14 points in 23 minutes of action. Paulos connected on 5-of-9 from the field, including three three-pointers as 13 different Spartans played in the game. Junior forward Kyle Cain made his UNCG debut after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Cain scored 12 points and tied for the team lead on the glass with five rebounds as he was 6-of-11 from the field.
Angola, which had an average age was 27.8 years old, had three players score in double figures in the victory. Milton Barros led the team with 19 points off the bench as he was 6-of-7 from the field while Valdelicio Joaquim chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds. This was the final game for Angola in its trip to Spain and was its final preparation for the 2013 African Championship in the Ivory Coast.
UNCG connected on 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from three-point land. The Spartans were out-rebounded by a 46-34 margin but only committed 12 turnovers in the loss. Angola connected on 47.6 percent (30-of-63) from the field and 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from long range. Angola out-scored the Spartans by a 38-17 margin in the paint and added 20 second chance points.
The Spartans, who arrived in Spain just over 24 hours before, came out of the gate slowly as the veteran Angola team broke the game open in the first quarter. Angola out-scored the Spartans 32-11 in the first quarter, taking advantage of five turnovers scoring 10 points off of the miscues.
UNCG regrouped after the first quarter and out-scored Angola a 51-50 margin over the final three quarters, including a 19-14 edge in the second quarter as the Spartans trimmed the deficit 46-30 at halftime. Senior Drew Parker added nine points and dished out three assists as he was 4-of-4 from the field, including one three-pointer. Sophomore Kayel Locke added eight points and five rebounds while freshman Tevon Saddler chipped in six points off the bench.
The Spartans return to action for their second of five games on the trip Sunday night as they face the Venezuelan National Team. Game time is set for 7 p.m.