University of North Texas Athletics
Hoosiers Hold Off Mean Green in 79-70 Win
12/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DENTON (12/29/03) -- A season-high scoring effort by Shawnson Johnson wasn't quite enough as a North Texas comeback effort against Big 10 opponent Indiana came up short and saw the Hoosiers battle past the Mean Green, 79-70, Monday night at the Super Pit.
North Texas, which fell behind by as much as 18 points in the first half and trailed by 15 midway through the second half, cut the margin down to five points (69-64) with 3:26 left before Indiana (6-4) pulled away for the final nine-point victory.
For the Mean Green (4-6), Johnson was a one-man force who scored a career-high 21 points, including an 11-for-13 effort at the free throw line. The senior forward also led North Texas with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, which tied his season high.
"I thought we played a very good basketball team tonight," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. "But we made some mistakes down the stretch. And you can't afford to do that against a team like Indiana. We have to put up a great 40 minutes of basketball to challenge these types of teams. I liked the way our defense played. But Bracey Wright put on a heck of a shooting performance in the first half.
Wright, the Hoosiers' 6-3 sophomore guard from nearby The Colony, Texas, put on a textbook shooting display in his return to his home state in the first half. He connected on his first eight field goals, including 5-of-5 from three-point range, before finishing with 28 points in the first half as Indiana broke out to a 46-35 halftime lead.
Wright cooled off in the second half and wound up with 39 points for the game, one of three Indiana players in double figures. Wright also led Indiana with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Joining Johnson in double figures for the Mean Green was junior forward Michael Jones, who came in off the bench and finished with 10 points. Junior guard Leonard Hopkins and senior guard Jerome Rogers each ended with nine points.
Indiana worked its way to its largest lead of the game at 18 points in the first half by posting a 39-21 lead following a Wright three-pointer at the 5:22 mark. A lay-up by Rogers pulled NT to within nine points at 44-35 with 0:17 left in the first half before two Indiana free throws widened the halftime game to 11.
North Texas trimmed the margin to under 10 early in the second half, but Indiana rebuilt it's lead to as many as 15 at 59-44 following a pair of Wright free throws. The Mean Green kept battling and eventually got to within five points at 69-64 with under four minutes remaining in the game.
The non-conference schedule for North Texas doesn't get any easier as the Mean Green travel to Arkansas to play the Razorbacks on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
