University of North Texas
2-2,0-0AAC
LSU
2-2,0-0SEC
Mean Green Fall 66-62 To LSU
11/17/2023 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
In a back-and-forth game that saw 22 lead changes, the Mean Green (2-2) were outscored in the paint 36-10 and ended the game making just one of their final 10 shot attempts.Â
North Texas and the Tigers (2-2) were tied at 56 a piece with four and a half minutes to go. From there on out LSU outscored the Mean Green 10-6 to secure the win.Â
"Credit to LSU, I thought their frontline was the difference in the game,"Â said head coach Ross Hodge. "Their ability to finish shots close to the basket and we had a hard time with that. So give them credit."Â
"This is part of the growing pains and we'll bounce back and be better. There's a lot of grit and belief in that locker room," he added.
North Texas on Friday was led in scoring by Jason Edwards who scored a game-high 22 points off the bench. Rubin Jones and John Buggs III combed for 29 points. Jones tied his career high with seven rebounds. He also had two steals, the first of which was his 100th of his career. Â
Robert Allen came off the bench and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, however, played in foul trouble and eventually fouled out with 1:41 remaining. Â
UNT shot just 31.7 percent (19-60) from the floor. They attempted a season-high 32 3-pointers and made 12 of them. They attempted 20 in the first half alone.Â
"(LSU) does a great job of defending the paint so they give up a lot of kickout threes," Hodge explained. "And I felt like when we were making them that's when things were going our way. But the biggest difference was their ability to score around the basket and our inability."Â
UNT will play its final game of the three-game tournament on Sunday versus either Wake Forest or Towson. Tip-off on Sunday is scheduled for 11:30 A.M. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield. Â
For more information on UNT men's basketball season tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of DATCU Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.Â
