Saturday, January 1
Denton
5 PM CT
University of North Texas
75
vs
43
Rice
Photo by: Rick Yeatts Photography
Men's Basketball Wins Sixth Straight
1/1/2022 7:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — The Mean Green men's basketball team grabbed 28 offensive rebounds and held Rice to a season-low scoring output as they won its league opener 75-43 over the Owls for a sixth straight win Saturday night.
UNT (8-3) offensively was led by Tylor Perry who scored a game-high 18 points. Not far behind Perry was Mardrez McBride who finished with 17 points. Abou Ousmane and freshman Aaron Scott grabbed 10 rebounds each and they combined for 16 points in the win.
"It was a great way to start conference play," McBride said. "We wanted to make a statement that we're for real and that when we play as a team our defense is top-notch."
North Texas had 14 offensive rebounds in each 20-minute half Saturday afternoon and for a majority of the game had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. They finished with 28 offensive and 28 defensive rebounds.
The Mean Green broke away from Rice (7-5) late in the first half when they pulled ahead 34-15 led by their stingy defense. They held the Owls to just seven points in the final seven minutes of the first half. But the game really broke open after the under 16 media timeout of the second half. UNT held Rice to just one field goal in the games final 12 minutes and 41 seconds of action. During that stretch, Rice went on a 12-minute and seven-second stretch where they didn't make a field goal. UNT used that stretch to increase its lead from 13 points to 32 points.
"The coaches had us well prepared defensively," Perry said.
The Owls entered Saturday's game averaging almost 81 points a game. They had made 10 or more 3-pointers in all but two games this season. But on Saturday North Texas held them to a season-low 43 points — previous low was 46 vs. No. 15 Houston — and just three made 3-pointers. Rice's first made 3-pointer didn't come until there was one minute remaining in the first half.
Saturday marks the ninth time in the so far the 11-game season that UNT has held its opponent to a season-low scoring. It's the third time they've held a team to under 50 points. The Mean Green entered the game with the nation's fifth-best scoring defense holding opponents to an average of just 55.1 points per game.
Next up for the Mean Green is a home game with UAB on Thursday. The Blazers were the preseason favorite and made the semifinals of the 2021 Conference USA Tournament. Thursday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the Mean Green Sports Network.
UNT (8-3) offensively was led by Tylor Perry who scored a game-high 18 points. Not far behind Perry was Mardrez McBride who finished with 17 points. Abou Ousmane and freshman Aaron Scott grabbed 10 rebounds each and they combined for 16 points in the win.
"It was a great way to start conference play," McBride said. "We wanted to make a statement that we're for real and that when we play as a team our defense is top-notch."
North Texas had 14 offensive rebounds in each 20-minute half Saturday afternoon and for a majority of the game had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. They finished with 28 offensive and 28 defensive rebounds.
The Mean Green broke away from Rice (7-5) late in the first half when they pulled ahead 34-15 led by their stingy defense. They held the Owls to just seven points in the final seven minutes of the first half. But the game really broke open after the under 16 media timeout of the second half. UNT held Rice to just one field goal in the games final 12 minutes and 41 seconds of action. During that stretch, Rice went on a 12-minute and seven-second stretch where they didn't make a field goal. UNT used that stretch to increase its lead from 13 points to 32 points.
"The coaches had us well prepared defensively," Perry said.
The Owls entered Saturday's game averaging almost 81 points a game. They had made 10 or more 3-pointers in all but two games this season. But on Saturday North Texas held them to a season-low 43 points — previous low was 46 vs. No. 15 Houston — and just three made 3-pointers. Rice's first made 3-pointer didn't come until there was one minute remaining in the first half.
Saturday marks the ninth time in the so far the 11-game season that UNT has held its opponent to a season-low scoring. It's the third time they've held a team to under 50 points. The Mean Green entered the game with the nation's fifth-best scoring defense holding opponents to an average of just 55.1 points per game.
Next up for the Mean Green is a home game with UAB on Thursday. The Blazers were the preseason favorite and made the semifinals of the 2021 Conference USA Tournament. Thursday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the Mean Green Sports Network.