Box Score (PDF) | Final 2016-17 Statistics 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Citadel men's basketball team led at halftime in Saturday's quarterfinal matchup but were held to just 28 points in the second half and eventually dropped a hard-fought game with No. 1 seed UNCG 76-67. The Bulldogs' 12 wins this year are the most since the 2009-10 season, most by a second-year head coach since 1986-87 and fifth-most in school history by a second-year head coach.
 
"Eight of our top nine players are freshmen and sophomores. I enjoy those freshmen. I have the SoCon Freshman of the Year. The future is bright and we're excited," head coach Duggar Baucom said. "Our three seniors, this is the most games they've won in a season. They had never had a season where they won 12 games. I know they were glad to have those freshmen come in and help them. They bought in from day one. They've been fun to coach. We'll use this as a learning experience and come back next year."
 
In the first half, both UNCG (24-8) and The Citadel (12-21) went on three-minute scoring droughts but neither team was able to take control of the game during those stretches. With 7:29 remaining in the first frame, the Bulldogs reeled off five straight points thanks to three-pointer by Frankie Johnson and a layup in transition by Ezekiel Balogun, giving the 'Dogs a 23-19 lead. The Spartans came right back though, sinking six three-pointers in the half to keep things close.
 
After UNCG tied the game at the 2:49 mark, senior Brian White checked in and drilled back-to-back threes to hand The Citadel a four-point advantage. The Bulldogs stretched that lead to six on their next possession after Najdawi drained his third trey of the contest.
 
Despite a layup in the last minute of action by the Spartans, The Citadel took a 39-35 lead into the locker room at the halftime break. The Bulldogs shot 61.5 percent from beyond the arc in the first frame and held the Spartans to just 39.4 percent from the floor.  
 
UNCG opened the second half with a 9-3 run to take a 44-42 advantage but a three ball by Matt Frierson with 15:22 remaining ended the run and gave The Citadel a one-point lead. The Spartans retook the lead on their next possession with a layup but Frierson hit another triple, this time from the corner, to make it 48-46 'Dogs.
 
With a little more than five minutes remaining, UNCG went on a 5-0 spurt to take a 63-59 lead. Following a free throw by Najdawi, the Spartans then scored six more points to widen the gap to nine with 3:22 left. The Bulldogs went nearly five minutes without a field goal, allowing the Spartans to widen the gap. The Citadel scored the next four points but it was too late as UNCG pulled away and claimed the 76-67 victory. The 'Dogs had just eight free throw attempts in the game compared to UNCG's 17. The Spartans also racked up 40 points in the paint. The back-and-forth contest featured 16 lead changes and nine ties.
 
Najdawi led the Bulldogs with 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. The Midlothian, Virginia, native finished three-of-four from the line, bringing his season total of made free throws to 154. The 154 free throws ranks sixth on The Citadel's single-season list. Frierson poured in 15 points, draining five treys in 23 minutes of action. Parks chipped in 12 points and four assists. The Greenville, South Carolina, native finished his freshman campaign with 543 points, the most ever by a freshman in program history.
 
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