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GAME NOTES: A couple of middle-of-the-pack teams in the Southern Conference standings will square off in Greensville this evening, as the Furman Paladins host the UNC Greensboro Spartans at Timmons Arena.

Despite vastly different overall records, these teams have identical 4-6 marks in league play. The Spartans have been on the win-loss seesaw for the past few weeks, although their most recent outing was a 62-55 triumph at Elon. But now the Spartans are back on the road for two straight, and they've managed to win only two of nine games outside of Greensboro this year.

Meanwhile, Furman is coming off Saturday's dismal 57-46 setback at Wofford. For the Paladins, the loss was their fifth in the last seven games. Tonight's contest kicks off a three-game homestand, and the Paladins must capitalize if they are to make a late push up the SoCon standings.

These teams met on January 9th, with UNCG claiming an 88-78 win at home. The Spartans hold a 9-8 series edge, although Furman has won seven of eight meetings in Greenville.

UNC Greensboro led by a seemingly comfortable 15-point margin at intermission, but the Phoenix opened the second half with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to six. They got it down to one point at the 6:18 mark, but UNCG answered with a 10-2 run to take control. Mikko Koivisto paced the Spartans with 17 points behind a 5-of-11 effort from beyond the arc. Ben Stywall chipped in with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, while Kyle Randall scored 11 in the win. Koivisto (7.2 ppg) has been rounding into shape after battling injury for the first two months of the season. Stywall leads the team with 14.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on the year. Brandon Evans is next in line with 10.3 ppg despite making only 11 starts.

Furman was held to a season-low 46 points in Saturday's 11-point loss to Wofford. The lowlight was an 11-minute stretch in the second half in which the Paladins were held without a basket. They combined to shoot just 2-of-15 from the perimeter, and only Jordan Miller reached double figures with 11 points. Still, it was a game in which Furman led by four at the half, and went on to hold Wofford to 35.9 percent shooting from the floor. Considering their opponents average 69.3 ppg on 43 percent shooting, it was a game the Paladins typically would win. However, top scorer Amu Saaka was held to eight points on 4-of-11 shooting, and Miller didn't receive much help at the offensive end. On the season, Saaka is averaging 15.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.

The Spartans haven't done a whole lot since beating Furman at home a month ago. Expect the Paladins to exact some revenge playing within the friendly confines of Timmons Arena.