Sunday, March 19
3 PM CT
University of North Texas
-287,164 CUSA
75
vs
55
Sam Houston
26-8,14-4WAC
1
2
F
Sam Houston
19
36
55
North Texas
38
37
75
Men's Basketball Advances To NIT Quarterfinals
3/19/2023 5:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — The UNT men's basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 National Invitation Tournament with a 75-55 win over the nation's No. 4 scoring defense, Sam Houston, Sunday afternoon at the Super Pit.
The Mean Green (28-7) made a season-high 16 3-pointers in the 20-point win.
Conference USA Player of the Year Tylor Perry led all scorers with 23 points and was 6-of-9 from deep. Perry also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in the win. Furthermore, the senior had no turnovers and committed no fouls while drawing nine fouls in the 32 minutes he played.
Rubin Jones scored a career-high 17 points versus the Bearkats (26-8) and was 5-of-5 from 3-point range. His five made 3-pointers were a single-game career-high for the junior from Houston.
"We have so much respect for Sam Houston State and believe they are one of the best opponents we've faced this year and I knew we would have to play our best to beat them," said head coach Grant McCasland. "Early we were aggressive in attacking and shooting open threes. It really made the difference and opened the game up."
UNT made its first four 3-point shots Sunday to take a very early 12-6 lead. Over the next 10 minutes they'd make four of their next seven 3-point attempts to grow the lead to double digits.
With 3:48 left in the first half, Jones drained what was his then second 3-pointer of the day to give the Mean Green a 33-16 advantage. They'd grow the lead to as much as 35 in the second half as they cruised to their 14th home win of the year in what was their final game at the Super Pit this season.
"I'm really thankful for the fans and specifically the Maniacs," McCasland said. "It's a (student) group that keeps building and I think the best days are ahead of us and the Maniacs are going to be a big part of our continued success."
Two-seeded North Texas will travel to Oklahoma State on Tuesday to face the top-seeded Cowboys (20-15) in the quarterfinal round. OSU defeated Eastern Washington 71-60 at home on Sunday in their second-round contest.
Tipoff for Tuesday's game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield and The Varsity Network app.
It'll be the 17th all-time meting between the two schools but the first time they've met in a NCAA postseason game. UNT last played the Cowboys on Dec. 3, 2014 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal game punches a ticket to the NIT Final Four, which is hosted in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena beginning March 28.
Tickets to Tuesday's quarterfinal game can be purchased through the Oklahoma State Athletics Ticket Office.
The Mean Green (28-7) made a season-high 16 3-pointers in the 20-point win.
Conference USA Player of the Year Tylor Perry led all scorers with 23 points and was 6-of-9 from deep. Perry also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in the win. Furthermore, the senior had no turnovers and committed no fouls while drawing nine fouls in the 32 minutes he played.
Rubin Jones scored a career-high 17 points versus the Bearkats (26-8) and was 5-of-5 from 3-point range. His five made 3-pointers were a single-game career-high for the junior from Houston.
"We have so much respect for Sam Houston State and believe they are one of the best opponents we've faced this year and I knew we would have to play our best to beat them," said head coach Grant McCasland. "Early we were aggressive in attacking and shooting open threes. It really made the difference and opened the game up."
UNT made its first four 3-point shots Sunday to take a very early 12-6 lead. Over the next 10 minutes they'd make four of their next seven 3-point attempts to grow the lead to double digits.
With 3:48 left in the first half, Jones drained what was his then second 3-pointer of the day to give the Mean Green a 33-16 advantage. They'd grow the lead to as much as 35 in the second half as they cruised to their 14th home win of the year in what was their final game at the Super Pit this season.
"I'm really thankful for the fans and specifically the Maniacs," McCasland said. "It's a (student) group that keeps building and I think the best days are ahead of us and the Maniacs are going to be a big part of our continued success."
Two-seeded North Texas will travel to Oklahoma State on Tuesday to face the top-seeded Cowboys (20-15) in the quarterfinal round. OSU defeated Eastern Washington 71-60 at home on Sunday in their second-round contest.
Tipoff for Tuesday's game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield and The Varsity Network app.
It'll be the 17th all-time meting between the two schools but the first time they've met in a NCAA postseason game. UNT last played the Cowboys on Dec. 3, 2014 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal game punches a ticket to the NIT Final Four, which is hosted in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena beginning March 28.
Tickets to Tuesday's quarterfinal game can be purchased through the Oklahoma State Athletics Ticket Office.
Team Stats
SHSU
UNT
FG%
.379
.520
3FG%
.292
.552
FT%
.364
.778
RB
32
32
TO
9
11
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
6
3FGM
6
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
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