2008 Woodie Awards
Spartans fall to No. 1 Duke in Coliseum
Fans, players experience largest UNCG athletic event ever
Brad Howell
Issue date: 1/17/06 Section: Sports
A near-sellout crowd of 21,124 packed into the Greensboro Coliseum on Dec. 31 to watch UNCG host the Duke Blue Devils. The crowd was the largest ever to attend a UNCG athletic event. The Spartans played well, but an 18-4 run to close out the game pushed Duke's already comfortable lead into a 102-69 route.
Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines turned in stellar performances for UNCG, but the team had no answer for J.J. Redick. The senior guard scored 35 points and connected on six of his 11 three-point attempts. Sheldon Williams added 21 points and 12 rebounds for Duke.
Hickman led UNCG with 23 points, 18 of them coming in the first 20 minutes of action. In a three-minute span during the first half, Hickman scored 10 straight points for the Spartans, single-handedly keeping them in the game. "I wanted to be aggressive and take good shots while playing within the offense," said Hickman. "My shots just went down, so I guess it was a pretty decent game."
Hines also had a solid effort. The 6'6" forward tallied 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Kevin Oleksiak further cemented his status as the vital third scorer for the Spartans, hitting on six of his ten shots from the floor for 14 points.
The Spartans proved to be a scrappy bunch, particularly in the first half. UNCG shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half (13-26), but the Blue Devils were even better, shooting at a 53 percent clip (25-54). For the game, Duke held a decisive edge in both free throws and three-point shooting. Duke knocked down 27 of 28 from the line, compared to the Spartans' 14-for-19 performance. The Blue Devils also held an 11-5 advantage from downtown. UNCG's hot shooting kept the Duke lead under 20 points until Josh McRoberts' dunk made it 54-34 with 1:37 to go in the half.
In the second half, the Spartans managed to cut the lead to 17 after back-to-back 3's from Hickman and Oleksiak with 14:36 left. They would get no closer however, as Duke eventually wore down UNCG. Despite the loss, the Spartans showing was a vast improvement over last year's 54-point loss a year ago at Cameron. "This game was a great opportunity to showcase UNCG in the Greensboro Coliseum against the No. 1 team in the nation," said UNCG athletic director Nelson Bobb. "Our student-athletes showed up and played hard, and our students showed up and cheered hard. Rarely do you have the opportunity to play the No.1 team in the nation, and that is an experience to remember."
Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines turned in stellar performances for UNCG, but the team had no answer for J.J. Redick. The senior guard scored 35 points and connected on six of his 11 three-point attempts. Sheldon Williams added 21 points and 12 rebounds for Duke.
Hickman led UNCG with 23 points, 18 of them coming in the first 20 minutes of action. In a three-minute span during the first half, Hickman scored 10 straight points for the Spartans, single-handedly keeping them in the game. "I wanted to be aggressive and take good shots while playing within the offense," said Hickman. "My shots just went down, so I guess it was a pretty decent game."
Hines also had a solid effort. The 6'6" forward tallied 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Kevin Oleksiak further cemented his status as the vital third scorer for the Spartans, hitting on six of his ten shots from the floor for 14 points.
The Spartans proved to be a scrappy bunch, particularly in the first half. UNCG shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half (13-26), but the Blue Devils were even better, shooting at a 53 percent clip (25-54). For the game, Duke held a decisive edge in both free throws and three-point shooting. Duke knocked down 27 of 28 from the line, compared to the Spartans' 14-for-19 performance. The Blue Devils also held an 11-5 advantage from downtown. UNCG's hot shooting kept the Duke lead under 20 points until Josh McRoberts' dunk made it 54-34 with 1:37 to go in the half.
In the second half, the Spartans managed to cut the lead to 17 after back-to-back 3's from Hickman and Oleksiak with 14:36 left. They would get no closer however, as Duke eventually wore down UNCG. Despite the loss, the Spartans showing was a vast improvement over last year's 54-point loss a year ago at Cameron. "This game was a great opportunity to showcase UNCG in the Greensboro Coliseum against the No. 1 team in the nation," said UNCG athletic director Nelson Bobb. "Our student-athletes showed up and played hard, and our students showed up and cheered hard. Rarely do you have the opportunity to play the No.1 team in the nation, and that is an experience to remember."
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