UNT Loses Conference Opener

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DENTON, Texas – In an game of shifting momentum reminiscent of their last meeting, the North Texas men fell to Arkansas-Little Rock, 69-66, in both teams’ Sun Belt Conference opener Thursday night at the Super Pit.

Thursday’s game was a rematch of last season’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament title game, won by UALR on a dramatic last-second three-point shot. This time it was more dramatic threes from the Trojans (4-10, 1-0) and a missed three in the final seconds by North Texas (7-7, 0-1).

But where the game was decided was at the free-throw line, where UALR hit 20 of 27 attempts and North Texas made just 8 of 17.

“We played well in a lot of areas, but the glaring stat is at the free-throw line,” North Texas coach Johnny Jones said.

With the game even at 62-62 with 1:49 to play, the Trojans took the lead on their ninth three-point field goal of the night, and, after Roger Franklin drew North Texas within one at 65-64, UALR got a layup and foul for a four-point lead.

The Mean Green drew within two with 24.3 seconds left but missed a three pointer in the closing seconds.

“They made some huge shots,” coach Jones said. “Our guys have to understand this

is league play. It’s different than anything else. You’ve got to play with a sense of urgency and toughness.”

Alzee Williams was the Mean Green’s leading scorer with 14 points,ordan Williams added ten, and Chris Jones had eight points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. The North Texas inside game suffered late when it lost Tony Mitchell to fouls and Kedrick Hogans to injury. The extent of his injury was unknown Thursday night.

There was no offensive rhythm to be found on either end of the court in the first half as a combination of aggressive, physical defense and poor shooting made for a low scoring first 20 minutes. UALR and North Texas each shot 29 percent from the field, but UALR’s advantages in rebounding and at the free-throw line helped them to a four-point halftime lead, 23-19.

But early in the second half, North Texas began moving the ball better on offense and capitalizing on the resulting shots, igniting an 11-5 run that sent the Mean Green to a 29-28 lead with just under three minutes gone in the half. A minute later, Alzee Williams’s rebound and put back of his own miss gave North Texas its first two-point lead of the game, 31-29.

The Mean Green defense, meanwhile, was suffocating the Trojan offense, forcing UALR to settle for outside shots, and the North Texas lead grew to 34-29.

However, the energy of the Mean Green’s surge ebbed seven minutes into the second half, while the Trojans found the range on three three-pointers to spark a 15-0 run and build the first double-digit lead of the night at 45-34 with 9:23 to play.

Tony Mitchell emphatically ended the UALR’s run with a one-handed dunk, and an NBA-range three-pointer by Brandan Walton followed by back-to-back-to-back steals and fast-break layups drew North Texas within 48-47 with 7 minutes to play. Two minutes later, a Mitchell block at one end led to an Alzee Williams layup at the other and a 54-53 North Texas lead.

The momentum shifted again when Mitchell fouled out with just under five minutes left and the Mean Green missed on a pair of good-look three pointers. UALR, led by 6-10 Will Neighbour and 5-10 D’Andre Williams, retook the lead.

North Texas will finish its seven-game homestand Saturday at 3:00 against Troy, at the Super Pit.