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University of North Texas
New Orleans
Dykes' Career High Downs North Texas At Lakefront Arena
12/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
NEW ORLEANS (12/22/08) Privateer guard Kyndall Dykes came up with a late steal to cap off a career night in downing the North Texas men’s basketball team, 71-65, on Monday night at Lakefront Arena.
Dykes had 10 points at the break and 25 overall to power the Privateers (5-6, 1-1 Sun Belt) past the Mean Green (8-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) in a tight battle. North Texas narrowed the lead to three on multiple occasions, but Dykes seemingly had the answer, either off the dribble or from the stripe. The senior went 13-of-20 from the free-throw line and posted a pair of late steals to ice the game.
“I thought we had a great opportunity to get a leg up on the rest of the Sun Belt, but it’s always tough to win on the road,” said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. “We were facing a New Orleans team that felt like its back was against a wall, and they shot the lights out on us.”
The Privateers, indeed, landed 24-of-56 (52.2 percent) from the floor against NT, its second highest output of the season.
North Texas entered the contest with a four-game win streak, but never found its rhythm despite a second half surge from deep. NT splashed home seven of its eight 3-pointers in the second half, but hit just 23-of-63 (36.5 percent) from the floor on the night.
Josh White provided the bulk of the Mean Green offense with 19 points in front of a hometown crowd. The Baton Rouge, La. native was perfect from the free throw line for a fifth straight game, and hit 6-of-14 shots from the floor on the night.
Dykes was the catalyst behind UNO’s 33-27 halftime lead, posting 10 points and freeing up the Privateer big-men to notch a 16-6 edge in points in the paint.
North Texas couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half, hitting just 9-of-31 (29.0 percent) attempts from the floor, including 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from downtown in the opening frame.
The Privateers raced out to a quick 12-4 lead with some red-hot shooting. New Orleans made its first six shots, led by center Jaroslav Tyrna’s wrap around layups.
Eric Tramiel was the spark the Mean Green needed to get into the game early. The Shreveport, La. native pinned a New Orleans layup against the glass, then hit an 18-foot jumper on the other end of the floor. The junior tied the game at 15 apiece with a put-back layup with just over 12 minutes left in the first.
Harold Stewart grabbed a couple of huge defensive boards for the Mean Green, and drew a key charging call on Charles Carmouche. The call allowed Josh White to nail a key 3-pointer to keep NT in the game.
North Texas takes a holiday break before hosting Metroplex rival UT Arlington on Dec. 29.
