University of North Texas
FIU
Tramiel's Dunk Extends Mean Green Win Streak To Four
1/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
MIAMI (1/22/09) It isn’t often that one slam dunk changes a game, but backed into a corner at Florida International, that’s exactly what Eric Tramiel’s rim-rocker did for North Texas in an 80-75 win over the Golden Panthers.
Draped by a pair of FIU (8-13, 3-5 Sun Belt East) defenders, the Mean Green (12-7, 5-3 Sun Belt West) big man shook the rafters with a heinous dunk with just under 12 minutes left in the game. The junior hit the floor with a primal yell and hit the game tying free throw. The dunk quieted the FIU crowd and ignited a North Texas powder keg that outscored FIU 31-24 after that play. North Texas has now won four straight games for a second time this year.
The dunk was the icing on a near perfect night for the Shreveport, La., native. He notched his second straight double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds both career highs but Tramiel didn’t do it alone. Kedrick Hogans was just as deadly in the second half with 13 of his career high 15 points coming in the frame.
The Mean Green was off its game from deep, but the post players led the way with a 40-24 edge in points in the paint over their counterparts. In the first half, it was George Odufuwa that answered the call. The big man from Dallas muscled a couple of tough layups off the glass to bring the Mean Green back into the game after FIU jumped out to a 7-2 lead.
That’s when FIU’s Tremayne Russell momentarily took over. The sophomore netted eight points in the Golden Panthers’ 14-0 run that spanned just over four minutes, and North Texas would struggle to keep up until Tramiel’s second-half slam. It took Hogans and Josh White getting hot for the Mean Green to claw back into the game.
Hogans pinned an FIU layup attempt off the glass and scored a key layup on the other end of the floor. White’s 3-pointer with just over three and a half minutes to play in the half brought NT within a point at 27-26.
North Texas flirted with the lead moments later when Tramiel went hard to the rim for a dunk. The junior drew a foul and slammed home the dunk, and managed to connect on the free throw to once again put NT within a point with 1:40 left in the first.
Nikola Gacesa sent the Golden Panthers into the half on fire when he hit on a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers inside the final minute. White stopped the bleeding with a three of his own with just a second left on the clock, but North Texas trailed 39-33 at the break.
The Mean Green takes the weekend off before returning to action versus Troy at the Super Pit on Jan. 29.
