University of North Texas
6-1,0-0AAC
Northern Iowa
3-3,0-0MVC
UNT Opens NIT Season Tip Off With 20-Point Win
11/28/2024 9:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KISSIMMEE, Florida - The UNT men's basketball team opened the 2024 NIT Season Tip Off with a 68-48 win over Northern Iowa on Thursday.
The Mean Green (6-1) will face undefeated (RV) Utah State on Friday at 5:30 PM CT from the State Farm Field House at ESPN's Wide World of Sport for the championship.
"We have a ton of respect for (UNI) head coach Jacobson and his program," said UNT head coach Ross Hodge after the 20-point win. "We would love to be as consistent and successful as they have been the last 19 years. I really liked how we finished the game with senior guard play."
Thursday North Texas was led in scoring by senior guard Atin Wright who scored 18 points on 15 shots and had three of his team's nine assists. But it was senior guard Laterll Jossell who put the game away as he scored nine of the Mean Green's final 11 points to give North Texas the 20-point win.
UNT's senior guards combined for 52 of its 68 total points.
Defensively on Thursday the Mean Green were elite as they forced 15 Panthers (3-3) turnovers and held their leading scorer Tytan Anderson to just two points. He was averaging more than 14 per game entering Thursday.
North Texas will face its former conference mate — in the Big West — Utah State on ESPN2 and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield. Â
