UNT Falls In Sunbelt Championship Game
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It was another classic Sun Belt Conference title game as Western Kentucky outlasted North Texas 74-70 to win and advance to the NCAA tournament. The two teams, meeting for the first time in the conference title game, traded the lead 10 times in the game, but Western Kentucky (15-18) rallied from a 13-point second half deficit and won their fourth straight conference tournament game and the crown.
With the Mean Green (18-14) leading 43-42, Brandan Walton knocked home a 3-pointer, then Tony Mitchell had a three-point play, and Walton then capped off the 8-0 run with a 17-foot jumper to make it 51-42 with 13:40 left in the game.
The lead grew to 13-points at 55-42 with less than 13 minutes left for the Mean Green, but WKU began its comeback. A 12-2 run cut the North Texas lead to 57-54 with 8:37 left. With the game tied at 59-59, North Texas pushed back in front with a Mitchell basket and a three-point play for Alzee Willams made it 64-59 with five minutes left.
WKU went on an 8-2 run to retake the lead at 67-66 with 2:42 left on a George Fant basket. The Mean Green went back in front by a point, but a 3-pointer by Kahlil McDonald with 1:09 left put Western Kentucky up 70-68 with 1:09 to play. After two Western Kentucky free throws to make it 72-68 with eight seconds left, Walton was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds to play.
After making the first two, Walton missed the third on purpose to give the Mean Green a chance at a rebound and a put back, but T.J. Price grabbed the board, and made two free throws to put the game away for the Hilltoppers.
Both teams raced out of the gate with a flurry as Western Kentucky opened up a 7-2 lead in the first two minutes, but North Texas answered right back to take a 10-9 lead on an Williams basket with 16:13 in the first half.
North Texas pushed the lead to five-points on a transition basket as Tyler Hall found Williams ahead in the front court for a lay-up to make it 25-20 with seven minutes left in the half.
With the game tied at 30-30 with less than a minute left in the half, Williams found Tony Mitchell on an alley-hoop dunk with 40 seconds left and the Mean Green took a two-point lead into the break at 32-30.
Four players scored in double figures for the Mean Green as Mitchell had 18 points while Williams poured in 16.
Fant was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament while Mitchell and Jacob Holman were named to the all-tournament team for North Texas.
