GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Francis Alonso got 18 of his 23 points in the second half, R.J. White added 16 points while hauling in 10 rebounds and North Carolina- Greensboro clinched the Southern Conference title along with the No. 1 tournament seed with a 72-66 win over East Tennessee State on Monday night.
Marvin Smith and Diante Baldwin got 13 points apiece and James Dickey got 11 rebounds for Greensboro (23-8, 14-4), which finished the regular season with seven straight wins.
East Tennessee State (24-7, 14-4), which entered the game in first place, trailed most of the second half. Hanner Mosquera-Perea's jumper with 3:45 left pulled the Buccaneers into a 59-all tie but Alonso sank a pair of free throws 15 seconds later to spark a 7-2 spurt that put Greensboro on top for good.
The Spartans protected their advantage from the free throw line over the final two minutes to seal it.
Mosquera-Perea finished with 18 points to lead three ETSU players in double figures.
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