Greenville, S.C. – UNC Greensboro shot 59.1% from three-point range and converted on 18-of-19 trips to the foul line as the Spartans survived a late Furman rally to edge the Paladins, 89-87, in Southern Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
 
Jalen Breath's layup off a Donovan Atwell pass gave the Spartans the lead with 59 seconds left. Following a UNCG timeout, Furman's JP Pegues missed on a potential game-tying layup with 46 seconds remaining before the Paladins kept their hopes alive with a stop of the defensive end. Pegues missed on a three-point attempt on Furman's next offensive possession and Carter Whitt left a follow-up shot short in the paint, but guard Marcus Foster grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a two-shot foul with 0.6 remaining. 
 
With a chance to tie the game, Foster missed his first free throw and UNCG responded by calling a timeout. Foster intentionally tried to miss the second free throw to setup a putback, but Breath won the scramble for the rebound as time expired to secure the win for UNCG.
 
Keyshaun Langley poured in a game-high 30 points, including a 6-for-9 effort behind the arc, to pace the Spartans to a 13-for-22 performance from three-point range. Forward Mikeal Brown-Jones scored 19 points and Breath finished with 13 to help UNCG improve to 17-6 overall and 8-2 in the SoCon.
 
Foster led the Paladins with 26 points and six rebounds while Pegues went 5-for-12 beyond the arc to post 25 points. Alex Williams scored 13 points to give the Paladins three players in double figures.
 
Both teams shot better than 59% in the first half and Furman connected on all 13 of its free throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes to carry a 51-47 lead into the locker room. The Paladins led 63-58 with under 13:30 to play when UNCG fashioned a 22-7 run, including a 9-for-9 run at the foul line, to take an 80-70 advantage after Joryann Saizonou drilled a triple with 6:30 to go.
 
Furman (12-11, 6-4 SoCon) answered with an 8-0 run of its own, highlighted by triples from PJay Smith and Foster, to trim the deficit to 80-78. Langley's sixth three of the game boosted the Spartan lead back to six at 87-81 with 2:28 on the clock, but Pegues answered with triples on the Paladins' next two possessions to knot the contest at 87-87 before Breath scored the deciding basket for UNCG.
 
The Spartans shot 53.7% on the night to go with a 94.7% effort at the charity stripe. UNCG managed a 30-26 edge on the glass and held Furman to 37% shooting in the second half.
 
The Paladins, who went 23-of-27 at the foul line, shot 48.1% from the floor and scored 16 points off 11 Spartan turnovers while committing just eight miscues. The loss snapped Furman's nine-game SoCon winning streak inside Timmons Arena.
 
Furman returns to the road on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. tip-off versus Mercer in Macon, Ga., before traveling to face ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn., on Saturday at 6 p.m.