Todd Drexler/SoConPhotos.com

Box Score

The Citadel Cit 13-12,5-11 SoCon

UNC Greensboro UNCG 19-8,13-5 SoCon

The Citadel Cit

13-12,5-11 SoCon

Final

Mar. 06, 2021

UNC Greensboro UNCG

19-8,13-5 SoCon

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
The Citadel Cit	39	33	72
UNC Greensboro UNCG	45	35	80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/6/2021 3:00:00 PM | Currie McFayden

The Citadel Falls to UNCG in SoCon Quarterfinals, 80-72

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In a one-point game with 4:40 to play, The Citadel could not hold off a late charge by top seed UNCG in an 80-72 decision in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championships Presented by General Shale Brick inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center on Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs' 2020-21 campaign came to a close.

Game Information
Final Score: UNCG 80, The Citadel 72
Record: The Citadel (13-12), UNCG (19-8)
Location: Asheville, N.C. (Harrah's Cherokee Center)
Series: UNCG leads 33-9

How It Happened

Isaiah Miller, the SoCon Player of the Year, scored the first five points of the game for UNCG to open up an early lead for the Spartans.
UNCG pushed the lead to 8-2 before six unanswered points from the Bulldogs, capped by Derek Webster, Jr.'s, layup off a Miller turnover, pulled The Citadel level at 8-8 with 14:01 on the clock.
Another big run by The Citadel, this time seven straight points, helped the Bulldogs to surge into the lead midway through the half. Kaiden Rice scored five of the seven points for The Citadel to take a 15-10 lead.
Rudy Fitzgibbons III's triple at the 9:19 mark pushed The Citadel's lead to seven before a 14-3 surge sent UNCG back in front with just over five minutes left before the break.
UNCG's lead grew to as many as 11 in the closing minutes of the half before Hayden Brown's three-point play with one second remaining pulled the Bulldogs back within six, 45-39, heading into the locker room.
Just as they did in Friday's bout with Western Carolina, the Bulldogs came out of the break hot and scored the first seven points to erase the halftime deficit. Fletcher Abee provided the first five points before Rice collected his own miss for a putback to give The Citadel a 45-44 lead.
Neither side was able to gain more than one possession of separation until Kaleb Hunter's layup at the 9:45 mark gave UNCG 60-56 edge. That lead quickly evaporated, however, with five straight points from The Citadel as the Bulldogs pushed back in front.
Leading by one, 68-67, with 4:40 to play, UNCG scored eight of the next 11 points to take control of the game over the final minutes. The Citadel climbed back within four, 76-72, on Abee's free throw with 31 seconds remaining but was unable to cut the lead any further down the stretch.

Inside the Numbers

Fletcher Abee led all Bulldogs with 18 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to six consecutive games. In three career SoCon Tournament games, Abee is averaging 17 points per game and has knocked down 10 three-pointers.
Hayden Brown fell one rebound shy of what would have been his record-tying 14th double-double, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Brown ends his season averaging 18.8 points and 10.5 rebounds, becoming the first Bulldog since John Sutor in 1970-71 to average a double-double for an entire season.
Kaiden Rice totaled 12 points and seven rebounds and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Tyler Moffe rounded out the quartet in double figures with 11 points and added four rebounds and two assists to his totals.
Derek Webster, Jr., had a game-high 10 rebounds and also collected four points on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a major size disadvantage, The Citadel outrebounded UNCG 38-36 and pulled down eight offensive boards, turning those into eight second-chance points.