University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Falls Short Against Middle Tennessee, 62-60
2/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DENTON (2/9/06) The North Texas men’s basketball team overcame a second half deficit to tie the game but was unable to sink the winning basket as Middle Tennessee held on to win, 62-60, on Thursday night in the Super Pit.
The Mean Green (12-10, 5-6) played its final home conference game of the season and now trails the series against the Blue Raiders, 4-2. Middle
"I thought we got into a hard-fought basketball game against a team that came into tonight's game riding a three-game win streak," said head coach Johnny Jones. "I thought our guys played hard for the entire game. They battled all the way to the end. We had a chance to win or tie the game. We had good looks at shots that we usually knock down."
Senior Jeffrey Simpson tied the game with a layup at 59-59 with 2:15 left in the game after trailing by eight points, 50-42. Simpson finished the game with 13 points and a career-high seven blocks. With the seven blocks, he became the first player in NT history surpass 100 blocks for a career. He now has 103 in his two-year career. As a team,
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Junior Calvin Watson pulled down the final offensive rebound with three seconds left after Lionel Brown made one of two free throws. Watson attempted a last-second shot to tie the game but it fell short. Watson led the team with 16 points, including four three-pointers.
The Mean Green capitalized on 19 MT turnovers, scoring 22 points off them. The Blue Raiders held the advantage in field percentage, hitting 41.5 percent. The Mean Green was 23-for-68 for 33.8 percent.
North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 11 when it travels to Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky at 7 pm. The Mean Green's final home game is Wednesday, Feb. 15 against UT-Pan American.
- North Texas postgame notes
- North Texas postgame quotes
