North Texas Men Overwhelm Troy, 87-65

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DENTON, Texas – Chris Jones had the first double-double in points and assists for North Texas since 2000 as the Mean Green men broke open a tie game at halftime and rolled to an 87-65 victory over Troy in a New Year’s Eve game at the Super Pit.

Jones fell one rebound short of a triple double, scoring a game-high 21 points, 10 assists, and four steals.

“I thought Chris did an excellent job of taking care of the ball and running our team,” Mean Green coach Johnny Jones said. “He had a little edge about him tonight. He didn’t think he played as well the other night (against Arkansas-Little Rock) and I thought he came back today and redeemed himself in a big way.”

North Texas (8-7, 1-1) also got 19 points from Jordan Williams and season-highs in field-goal percentage (.538), field goals made (35), assists (21) and shot blocks (six).

Troy slips to 5-8 and 0-2 in Sun Belt play.

North Texas made a pair of changes to its starting lineup, going with four guards and forward Tony Mitchell. Added to the starting lineup were Roger Franklin and Brandan Walton, who has hit 50 percent of his three-point shots in the last four games. Franklin and Walton both scored in double figures with 10 points apiece.

As they did two nights ago against Arkansas-Little Rock, the Mean Green again got off to a rocky start on offense, shooting under 40 percent and struggling to get Mitchell involved. Mitchell had just one field goal attempt in the first half, and through the first 15 minutes, North Texas trailed by as many as eight.

But Walton’s second three-pointer of the half drew North Texas within three, followed in rapid succession by a three from Jones, a fast-break one-handed dunk by Franklin, and a three-point play by Alzee Williams for a 31-26 Mean Green lead. The Mean Green managed to get its shooting percentage up to

40 percent by halftime.

Troy, buoyed by a 25-18 rebounding edge, regrouped in the final three minutes of the half to earn a 33-33 tie at the break.

Mitchell made an immediate impact in the second half with two quick buckets and an offensive rebound to set up another North Texas score. After threes by Walton and Jones, Alzee Williams hit a jumper for a 47-39 lead. Mitchell finished with a season high in blocks with four.

From there North Texas was in control. The Mean Green opened up a 58-43 lead with 12 minutes to play on six points from Niko Stojiljkovic and five from Jones while the defense was holding Troy to 23.5 percent shooting in the second half.

Jordan Williams then took over, draining a pair of long-range threes and making a spectacular reverse layup as the Mean Green lead eventually grew to 17 and never dipped below 12. The Mean Green also reversed Troy’s rebounding advantage, finishing with a 47-36 advantage

Having completed their seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record, the Mean Green return to the road at South Alabama on Thursday, January 5.

 

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