University of North Texas
Texas State
Late 3-Point Barrage Seals Comeback Win
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, the North Texas basketball team outscored Texas State 28-12 over the final 5:12 to steal an 81-77 victory on Saturday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum.
Down 67-56 with just under four minutes remaining, Josh White and Tristan Thompson knocked down two 3-pointers apiece in just over a minute to put North Texas (4-1) on top for good. The Mean Green shot 69.6 percent in the second half, and held Texas State (2-3) without a field goal for four and a half crucial minutes late in the game.
"We knew coming in this was going to be a tough one," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. "Texas State played like their backs were against the wall, and they caught us off of our game early. Tristan and Josh were remarkable down the stretch. Anytime we can get that kind of senior effort you always have a chance."
Thompson led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 6-of-7 from 3-point. He was nearly equaled by White, who landed 21 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep. The pair took every 3-point attempt for the Mean Green and landed 9-of-11 (81.8 percent).
White also went 6-of-6 from the free throw stripe over the game's final 1:41 to put the contest on ice.
Kedrick Hogans had another stellar game for NT with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and George Odufuwa was one rebound shy of his 20th career double-double with 11 points and nine boards.
Cameron Johnson's work in the paint helped Texas State start the game on fire. Johnson tallied six early points as the Bobcats hit nine of their first 13 shots (69 percent) in the game's first eight minutes to take a 20-14 edge.
Kedrick Hogans and the Mean Green responded with a 7-0 run to take a quick 21-20 lead thanks to a pair of back-to-back "And-1" buckets from the junior.
The Bobcats went into the halftime break with a 38-28 lead thanks to 10 Mean Green turnovers and nine offensive rebounds that led to eight second chance points. NT committed a season-high 19 turnovers in the game.
North Texas returns to the court against Metroplex rival UT Arlington on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Super Pit. Tip off against the Mavericks is slated for 7 p.m.
