University of North Texas
7-5,0-0AAC
LSU Shreveport
1-1
Men's Hoops Wins 14th Straight Home Game
12/30/2023 4:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The win concludes the Mean Green's (7-5) non-conference portion of their schedule on a two-game winning streak. North Texas significantly put away the six-time reigning Red River Athletic Conference champion Pilots (9-1) with a 14-2 run to close out the game.
"I thought in the first half we more so hoped they would miss whereas in the second half we made them miss," said head coach Ross Hodge. "(LSUS) is a really competitive team and credit to them for fighting back after our hot start."
"Rubin (Jones) I thought did a great job of taking leadership in the second half and carrying us," he added.
Jones, who was playing in his 100th career game on Saturday, led North Texas with 16 points. Fourteen of his 16 points came in the second half.
UNT had jumped out to a 22-8 lead over LSUS in the first half but then went cold as the Pilots came back to trail by just three at the half.
In the second half, LSUS kept the game close for the first 12 minutes but a Jones 3-pointer with 7:50 remaining gave the Mean Green their first double-digit lead in over 16 minutes. The Jones 3-pointer started a 16-6 rally that gave UNT much needed separation.
LSUS shot just 25 percent from deep in the final 20 minutes and was outrebounded by UNT 27-14 in the second half too.
UNT assisted on exactly half of its 28 total made field goals. More than a third of its 14 assists came from Aaron Scott who finished with a career-best five.
Senior Robert Allen recorded his first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Next up for North Texas is the start of the American Athletic Conference portion of its schedule. UNT travels to Wichita State on Thursday to face the Shockers at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and the Mean Green Sports Network.
For more information on UNT men's basketball 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.
