Friday, November 29
Kissimmee, FL
5:30 PM
University of North Texas
6-2,0-0AAC
57
vs
61
(RV) Utah State
7-0,0-0Mountain West
1
2
F
Utah St.
23
38
61
North Texas
25
32
57
UNT Falls In Title Game To (RV) Utah St, 61-57
11/29/2024 8:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KISSIMMEE, Florida — The UNT men's basketball team fell 61-57 to (RV) Utah State in the title game of the 2024 NIT Season Tip Off at the State Farm Field House in Kissimmee, Florida Friday night.
The Mean Green (6-2) held the Aggies (7-0) to 31 points below their season scoring average and forced them into 16 turnovers but were unable to get the stops late and shoot well enough on the night against USU's matchup zone.
"The challenge against their defense is to not get stagnant, "said head coach Ross Hodge. "And I feel like at times we played into that. Where we didn't take advantage was in transition, especially in the first half. We let them go on a 6-0 run to end the first half and close the gap and against a good team like that you must close halves and ultimately Mason Falslev imposed his will and we didn't have a an answer for him. We have to be better as a staff and a team."
North Texas was led in scoring by Atin Wright who finished with 17 points and made a season-high five 3-pointers. Grant Newell added a season-high 12 points on seven shots.
But it was Utah State's Mason Falslev, however, who was the star of the night as he finished with a game-high 28 points on 16 shots and was 5-of-8 from 3.
UNT will have a week off before playing again but will stay on the road as they travel to High Point on Dec. 6. They'll return to the Super Pit on Dec. 18 to host Mississippi Valley State.
For more information on UNT Basketball tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can purchase tickets at www.meangreentickets.com or visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of DATCU Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Mean Green (6-2) held the Aggies (7-0) to 31 points below their season scoring average and forced them into 16 turnovers but were unable to get the stops late and shoot well enough on the night against USU's matchup zone.
"The challenge against their defense is to not get stagnant, "said head coach Ross Hodge. "And I feel like at times we played into that. Where we didn't take advantage was in transition, especially in the first half. We let them go on a 6-0 run to end the first half and close the gap and against a good team like that you must close halves and ultimately Mason Falslev imposed his will and we didn't have a an answer for him. We have to be better as a staff and a team."
North Texas was led in scoring by Atin Wright who finished with 17 points and made a season-high five 3-pointers. Grant Newell added a season-high 12 points on seven shots.
But it was Utah State's Mason Falslev, however, who was the star of the night as he finished with a game-high 28 points on 16 shots and was 5-of-8 from 3.
UNT will have a week off before playing again but will stay on the road as they travel to High Point on Dec. 6. They'll return to the Super Pit on Dec. 18 to host Mississippi Valley State.
For more information on UNT Basketball tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can purchase tickets at www.meangreentickets.com or visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of DATCU Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Team Stats
USU
UNT
FG%
.435
.361
3FG%
.353
.233
FT%
.714
.667
RB
38
30
TO
16
9
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
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