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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Samford University basketball team's two-game, regular-season ending road trip got off to a rough start Thursday as the Bulldogs suffered an 81-67 loss against the UNCG Spartans in a Southern Conference contest held in front of 1,893 fans at the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
"I'm very disappointed right now," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "The guys didn't play with much effort tonight and it's very disappointing. This is only the second time that I can say that all year, and the first was the game at Mercer. Our guys knew what was on the line heading into the game and they basically didn't do any of the main three things we talked about."
 
With the loss, Samford (12-18, 5-12 SoCon) dropped its fourth-consecutive game and moved to 3-11 on the road this season. The Bulldogs also had their three-game winning streak snapped against UNCG (10-20, 6-11 SoCon). Samford's loss to the Spartans was its first since a 66-64 setback on Jan. 24, 2013.
 
The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the field in the first half and only trailed UNCG by three points, 36-33, at the intermission. Samford drained five 3-point baskets in the opening 20 minutes of play and were led by Christen Cunningham's nine first-half points.
 
UNCG opened the second half with a momentum-shifting dunk from Tevon Saddler and would later use a 3-point play from R.J. White to build a 43-36 advantage with 17:06 left to play.
 
Just moments later, the Bulldogs' Cunningham knocked down a running eight-foot jumper and senior Tyler Hood drained a deep 3-point basket to trim the Spartans' lead to 43-41 with 16:08 to play.
 
It was then that UNCG used a pivotal 26-6 run to build its largest lead of the night at the 7:14 mark, 69-47.
 
During the Spartans' key, game-changing run, senior sharpshooter Nicholas Paulos scored all 11 of his points and became UNCG's 21^st player in school history to reach the 1,000-plateau.
 
Samford tried to mount a rally in the final seven minutes of the game, but could get no closer than 11 points down, 73-62, with 2:52 left to play following a jumper from Brandon Roberts.
 
Roberts, the Bulldogs' sophomore shooting guard from Decatur, Alabama, finished the game with nine points and a steal.
 
UNCG out-rebounded Samford, 37-30, and outscored the Bulldogs, 36-22, in the paint. The Spartans also bettered Samford in second-chance points, 17-3, and fast-break points, 15-4.
 
"We didn't do a good job of rebounding the ball," Padgett said. "They out-rebounded us by seven tonight and had 12 offensive rebounds, as well as 17 second-chance points. Tonight, it came down to which team wanted it more and to me it was obvious from the start of the game that UNCG was the team that wanted it more."
 
The Bulldogs shot 43.8 percent from the field, while UNCG notched a 50-percent shooting performance, 28-of-56. Samford turned in a stellar 46.2-percent mark from 3-point range, but UNCG tallied a 46.7-percent outing from long range.
 
Cunningham, Samford's dynamic true freshman from Georgetown, Kentucky, paced the Bulldogs with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. He also shot 6-of-9 from the field and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.
 
Samford's Hood and Johnson both followed with 11 points each, while Michael Bradley came off the bench to score seven.
 
UNCG finished Thursday's game with five players scoring in double figures. White, the Spartans' hefty 6-foot-8 sophomore center, exploded for a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting a brilliant 10-of-13 from the field. White achieved his career numbers in only 25 minutes of playing time.
 
Junior Kayel Locke scored 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while Diante Baldwin and Paulos both added 11. Saddler, UNCG's All-SoCon performer, rounded out the Spartans' double-digit scorers with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
 
"There's definitely some soul-searching that needs to be done before Saturday's game," Padgett said. "It's late in the season and the motivation can't always come from me. There has to be some leadership on this team that steps up and says enough is enough. They need to hold their teammates accountable, because for us to be successful, we need to be a multiple-effort team."
 
The Samford University basketball team will conclude its 2014-15 regular-season schedule Saturday at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs play on the road against the VMI Keydets for the first time in school history. The game will be held at VMI's Cameron Hall in Lexington, Virginia.

Box Score
Samford Stats