Women’s and Men’s Teams Earn High Seeds in SoCon Tournament This Weekend

Spartan basketball has never looked so good. 

With a 76-37 road win over its SoCon rival Mercer on Saturday, the women’s team extended its winning streak to 11 games, the longest since the 1996-97 season. The win gave the Spartans an all-time best conference record of 13-1, cementing their spot as sole owners of the regular-season title for just the second time in the program’s history.  

They will start the SoCon Tournament this week in Asheville with a No. 1 seed, playing their first game against Western Carolina in the quarterfinals on Thursday. 

The men’s team concluded its regular season with a win at Fleming Gym on Saturday, putting up 108 points against Samford’s 100. That win pushed Samford to third place in SoCon standings at the end of the regular season, giving UNCG sole ownership of second place with a conference record of 13-5 and a 2-seed ahead of this weekend. 

They’ll enter the tournament in the quarterfinals on Saturday against the winner of Friday’s matchup between VMI (7-seed) and the Citadel (10-seed). 

Women to Watch 

Look for several standouts on this year’s Spartan women’s team poised to help them win the tournament. 

Khalis Cain 
Named a SoCon Player of the Week back in January, graduate forward Khalis Cain broke two team records this season: for offensive rebounds in a single season, grabbing 133; and for career blocks, ending the season with 152. She finished the 2024-25 regular season with 249 total rebounds, 26 steals, 34 blocks, and 196 points. 

Nya Smith
Named a SoCon Player of the Week on Christmas Eve, freshman guard Nya Smith contributed an average of 11.5 points per game, the team’s second-highest scorer with 322 on the season. She led the team in 3-point attempts with 141, sinking 49 of them, and scored 16 points in the Spartans’ last game against Western Carolina. 

Jayde Gamble 
Senior guard Jayde Gamble led the team in minutes played (846), field goal attempts (301), points scored (337), average points per game (12), assists (78), forced turnovers (69), and steals (63).  

Men on the Move 

The men’s team relied on a deep bench this season, each player with the potential for a breakout game. But to advance, they are anticipating these players will step up. 

Kenyon Giles
Junior guard Kenyon Giles led the team in scoring with 454, averaging 15.7 per game. He also led the team in steals with 33, nabbed 86 rebounds, and contributed 53 assists. 

Ronald Polite III 
Ronald Polite III, a graduate guard, came to the Spartans this year transferring from George Mason University. A solid all-around player, he led the team in assists (100), forced turnovers (52), and field goal percentage, sinking almost half of the shots he took from the field (.494). 

Jalen Breath 
On the defensive side, forward Jalen Breath, a redshirt junior, grabbed 216 rebounds this season, a team high, and had 14 blocks. 

Tournament Time 

The SoCon Basketball Tournament – both the men’s and the women’s – will be held this week at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The women’s tournament begins on Thursday, March 6. The men have their first game on Friday, March 7. SoCon Championship winners automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament.  

Tickets for the SoCon Tournament are available here. 

Story by Brian Clarey, University Communications

Photos by Carlos Morales, Emma White, and UNCG Athletics