UNT Falls To Lehigh
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DENTON, Texas – Behind a big run in the first half, Lehigh shot past the North Texas men’s basketball team in a 90-75 loss for the Mean Green on Thursday night at the Super Pit.
Lehigh improves to 9-2 and has won its last eight straight games. North Texas falls to 5-7 overall. The Mountain Hawks win the first game in the series.
The Patriot League team used a 32-12 run midway through the first half to erase a North Texas lead and take a commanding 19-point lead at the intermission. Led by Gabe Knutson who poured in 28 points, Lehigh shot 52.8 percent in the first half and finished with a 48.5 shooting percentage from the field.
North Texas outscored Lehigh, 42-38, in the second period, but it was not enough to make up for the double-digit point deficit at the half.
Three players led the Mean Green in double-figures. Tony Mitchell scored a season-high 22 points, while Alzee Williams finished with 20 points. The 20 points was a season high for the guard. He was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Three-pointers were key for Lehigh in the first half. The Mountain Hawks were 8-of-16 from behind the arc. The downtown drought continued for the Mean Green as North Texas was 0-for-5 in the first half. Mitchell broke the drought in the second half with a 3-pointer. North Texas had been 0-for-19 in the last two games and is now 2-for-34 in the last three games.
A dunk by Mitchell gave North Texas a 21-18 advantage at 9:28 in the
first half. Knutson scored the next five points to give the lead back to Lehigh for good. Over the next five minutes, Lehigh would outscore the Mean Green, 19-6, to take its first double-digit lead of the game, 37-27. Knutson scored 10 of those 19 points, including two 3-pointers.
Lehigh finished the first half on a 34-12 run, entering intermission with a 52-33 lead. Lehigh made 13 of the last 17 points of the first half, including three 3-pointers.
North Texas raced out quick in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points to cut the deficit to 15, 54-39. Knutson scored the next four points for Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks built their lead back to 20 points to seal the win.
Lehigh shot 52 percent from the field in the first half, while North Texas made just 33 percent of its shots. The Mean Green held the edge in rebounds, 48-36.
The 52-halftime points were the most points that North Texas has given up in a first half this season. The 90 points is the most points given up by North Texas in a single game this season. It is also the most points given up at home since WKU scored 94 points on Feb. 7, 2008.
North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 29 at WKU at 7 p.m.
