Sunday, November 28
Kissimmee, FL
9:30 AM CT
University of North Texas
-33,00 CUSA
57
vs
54
Drake
3-3,0-0MVC
1
2
F
North Texas
24
33
57
Drake
20
34
54
Photo by: Luke Della
Mean Green Win Rock Fight With (RV) Drake, 57-54
11/28/2021 11:56:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KISSIMMEE, Florida — The North Texas men's basketball team beat (RV) Drake Sunday morning 57-54 in the final game of the ESPN Events Invitational from Disney's Wide World of Sports.
The Mean Green (3-3) beat the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorites who like North Texas won a game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament with two last second defensive stops to hold on to the victory.
"I told the guys in the locker room that was a good old fashion rock fight," said UNT head coach Grant McCalsand. "We've been through a lot and been in a lot of close games we couldn't figure out how to finish so to be able to win it like we did on the defensive end is huge."
After scoring first, North Texas put on a defensive clinic and held Drake to just five points in the game's first nine minutes. However, North Texas struggled to get the offense going and led just 11-5.
The Mean Green took as big as a 10-point lead in the first half and led 24-20 at the halftime break.
"We were getting stops, taking good shots and playing tough," McCasland said of the first half. "We knew they were going to punch back, though."
In the second half, UNT again jumped out to a strong start and grew its lead to as big as nine points but the return punch was a heavy one from the Bulldogs.
Midway through the second half Drake went on a 7-0 run where they didn't miss a shot and took a one-point lead with nine minutes left.
From the nine-minute mark until the final buzzer, neither team led by more than four points.
With 48 seconds remaining UNT trailed Drake by one but that was the last lead they'd have.
"We attacked the paint, got to the free throw line and made stops," McCasland said of the final minute. "It was great."
A pair of free throws gave North Texas the lead with 23 seconds remaining. On the next Bulldogs possession, Bell swatted a would-be go-ahead floater out of bounds.
On the final defensive stop, freshman Aaron Scott walled up to force the Drake shooter into a tough layup and then raised up to grab the game-clinching defensive rebound.
He then went to the foul line and sank two free throws as if he was a veteran.
"I've been in situations similar to that in high school so I felt ready," Scott said. "It means a lot the coaches put their trust in me to make the winning plays late."
UNT was led in scoring on Sunday by sophomore Rubin Jones who finished with a career-high 15 points and had four steals to go along with his four made field goals.
Bell chipped in 12 points and also scoring in double figures was senior Mardrez McBride who finished with 11 points.
Drake was tabbed the 2021-22 MVC Preseason favorite and is coming off of a 26-5 2020-21 season that saw them earn an at large bid into the Big Dance and upend Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament.
In the most recent AP Top 25 poll, the Bulldogs earned two top 25 votes.
After three games in four days at the ESPN Events Invitational, North Texas has nearly a week off. They next host Nevada on Dec. 4. Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
The Mean Green (3-3) beat the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorites who like North Texas won a game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament with two last second defensive stops to hold on to the victory.
"I told the guys in the locker room that was a good old fashion rock fight," said UNT head coach Grant McCalsand. "We've been through a lot and been in a lot of close games we couldn't figure out how to finish so to be able to win it like we did on the defensive end is huge."
After scoring first, North Texas put on a defensive clinic and held Drake to just five points in the game's first nine minutes. However, North Texas struggled to get the offense going and led just 11-5.
The Mean Green took as big as a 10-point lead in the first half and led 24-20 at the halftime break.
"We were getting stops, taking good shots and playing tough," McCasland said of the first half. "We knew they were going to punch back, though."
In the second half, UNT again jumped out to a strong start and grew its lead to as big as nine points but the return punch was a heavy one from the Bulldogs.
Midway through the second half Drake went on a 7-0 run where they didn't miss a shot and took a one-point lead with nine minutes left.
From the nine-minute mark until the final buzzer, neither team led by more than four points.
With 48 seconds remaining UNT trailed Drake by one but that was the last lead they'd have.
"We attacked the paint, got to the free throw line and made stops," McCasland said of the final minute. "It was great."
A pair of free throws gave North Texas the lead with 23 seconds remaining. On the next Bulldogs possession, Bell swatted a would-be go-ahead floater out of bounds.
On the final defensive stop, freshman Aaron Scott walled up to force the Drake shooter into a tough layup and then raised up to grab the game-clinching defensive rebound.
He then went to the foul line and sank two free throws as if he was a veteran.
"I've been in situations similar to that in high school so I felt ready," Scott said. "It means a lot the coaches put their trust in me to make the winning plays late."
UNT was led in scoring on Sunday by sophomore Rubin Jones who finished with a career-high 15 points and had four steals to go along with his four made field goals.
Bell chipped in 12 points and also scoring in double figures was senior Mardrez McBride who finished with 11 points.
Drake was tabbed the 2021-22 MVC Preseason favorite and is coming off of a 26-5 2020-21 season that saw them earn an at large bid into the Big Dance and upend Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament.
In the most recent AP Top 25 poll, the Bulldogs earned two top 25 votes.
After three games in four days at the ESPN Events Invitational, North Texas has nearly a week off. They next host Nevada on Dec. 4. Tip-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
UNT
DRA
FG%
.432
.535
3FG%
.357
.250
FT%
.778
.750
RB
24
21
TO
10
13
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
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