Sunday, November 4, 2012

Spartans Fast Break Their Way to Exhibition Victory

UNCG 102 - Bluefield State 74

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UNCG Athletics
BSC Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 45 - Bluefield State 40

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (21)
Leader Rebounds: Kelvin McNeil (11)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (7)
Team FG: 35-68 (51.5%)
Team 3 Pt: 6-16 (37.5%)
Team FT: 26-37 (70.3%)
Rebounds: 50
Turnovers: 20

Bluefield State Stats
Leader Points: Daven Morris (16)
Leader Rebounds: Treon Claiborne (5)
leader Assists: Daven Morris (3)
Team FG: 20-62 (32.3%)
Team 3 Pt: 7-24 (29.2%)
Team FT: 27-39 (69.2%)
Rebounds: 37
Turnovers: 22

Thoughts
Even though the halftime score might not have indicated it, I thought UNCG controlled the game throughout. Sloppy turnovers and defensive lapses were the only things that kept the Big Blues even remotely competitive in this exhibition contest. The game was played in front of a packed and (at times) raucous crowd in Fleming Gym. UNCG shook off the nerves after the first 20 minutes and played very sound basketball. Everyone played and all made some nice contributions. It's tough to talk about everyone and their play. So, I'll just hit the high spots.

Kelvin McNeil was a very big surprise. I didn't really know a lot about him or what to expect of him coming to UNCG. However, from the appearance of this game, McNeil will see a big spot in the rotation and be heavily counted on to man the post position. I was thoroughly impressed with his play and am excited to see him play throughout the season.

David Williams created shear havoc on both ends of the court. It's very obvious that David's skill set is tailored perfectly to Wes Miller's style of play (both offense and defense). I'm not sure how many deflections he made on the defensive end, but it seemed like he had one per possession. His fast break dunk from the wing in the first half was the play of the night for me.

The main thing that jumped out at me was the pace that this Spartan team intends to play. It was on the verge of out of control ti was so fast, but it lead to a bunch of easy layups and dunks. Some of the turnovers were "cover your eyes" bad. But if G can create as many possessions as they did last night, the points will come in huge bunches.

Should be fun to watch going forward. Go Spartans !!!

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