GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Citadel (4–14, 1–4 SoCon) fell to UNC Greensboro (7–11, 3–2 SoCon), 69–66, in overtime Thursday night at Bodford Arena, despite a season-high 25 points and five three-pointers from Braxton Williams. The performance marked his fifth 20-plus point game of the season and third in the past four contests.
Carter Kingsbury finished with 15 points and a team-high six assists for the Bulldogs, while Christian Moore added 13 points on three made three-pointers.
After an early back-and-forth stretch, the Bulldogs used a 20–0 run midway through the first half to build separation. The Citadel held UNC Greensboro scoreless for more than seven minutes during the stretch and carried a 33–19 lead into halftime after shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs extended their advantage to 16 points early in the second half before the Spartans began to close the gap. UNC Greensboro outscored The Citadel 43–29 in the second half, using a series of runs to erase the deficit and force overtime with the score tied at 62–62 at the end of regulation.
In the extra period, Kingsbury opened the scoring with a jumper before Williams gave The Citadel its final lead at 66–65 on a layup with 4:01 remaining. The Bulldogs did not score again, as UNC Greensboro closed the period on a 7–0 run. Lilian Marville scored the final basket with a jumper at the 0:42 mark to seal the outcome.
Justin Neely led UNC Greensboro with 23 points and 16 rebounds. The Spartans moved to 3–0 at home in Southern Conference play.
"We had some key moments early in the game and early in the second half that were important, but we didn't play our best basketball for long enough," head coach Ed Conroy said. "On the road, when a team rebounds you and gets to the free-throw line, it puts pressure on you to be really solid with the ball, and we needed to execute better in some of those moments. We had a few empty possessions late, especially in overtime, and that stretch made it hard to close the game. There were positives, though. We showed fight, we had a big run that shows what this group is capable of, and we're continuing to get better. Now it's about turning the page quickly and getting ready for VMI."
The Bulldogs stay on the road Saturday, Jan. 17, traveling to face VMI at 7 p.m. in Southern Conference play in Lexington, Va.
