DENTON, Texas – North Texas shot lights out from three point range, connecting on 11 of its first 12 attempts, putting Little Rock in an early hole it would never recover from. The Trojans trailed by 20 at the half and dropped a 76-53 decision to their former Sun Belt Conference rivals at the Super Pit.
Game Notes
• North Texas finished the game shooting 19-of-35 from three point range with 57 of its 76 points coming from beyond the arc. The Mean Green made 13 of their first 14 three point attempts in the game.
• The 53 points scored by Little Rock its its lowest offensive output of the season while the 76 scored by North Texas is the most given up by the Trojans this season.
• Little Rock shot just 37.0% for the game, connecting on 17-of-46 shots while going just 5-of-16 from three point range and 14-of-21 from the free throw line.
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Ben Coupet Jr. led the way offensively for Little Rock, scoring 18 points, including 16 in the second half, while finishing with six rebounds on the night. He knocked down eight of his nine free throw attempts, all of which came in the final 20 minutes.
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Markquis Nowell added 10 points with four assists while playing just 28 minutes in the game, the first time this season he has played less than 35 minutes and the second he has logged less than 38 minutes in a game.
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Jovan Stulic scored Little Rock's first seven points but played just six minutes after taking an elbow to the face and heading to the locker room. He was 3-for-4 from the floor and hit his only three point attempt.
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Ruot Monyyong led the Trojans in rebounding with nine, followed by Coupet's six and five from
Kamani Johnson. Little Rock was outrebounded 33-30 on the evening, its second-lowest rebounding total on the season.
• It was the first meeting between the two former Sun Belt rivals since UNT left the league in 2013. The Trojans still lead the all-time series 18-10 but the win by the Mean Green snapped a two game win streak by Little Rock.
First Half Notes
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Jovan Stulic scored the first seven points of the game for the Trojans, connecting on a three from the corner, then a long two from the opposite elbow. But North Texas hit its first three point attempts, racing out to a 13-7 lead at the 15:23 mark.
• After scoring Little Rock's first seven points, Stulic took an elbow to the nose and was on the court for an extended amount of time before heading to the locker room to get looked at.
• North Texas hit its first six three point attempts and raced out to a 19-11 lead, but back-to-back baskets by Lottie, followed by back-to-back threes from Nowell pulled the Trojans to within one at 22-21 at the midway point of the first half.
• The Mean Green responded with a 17-0 run, holding the Trojans scoreless for over six minutes and hitting five more three point attempts to build a 36-21 advantage with 4:50 remaining in the opening half. North Texas connected on 11 of its first 12 three point attempts.
• Over the final 9:40, North Texas outscored Little Rock 20-4, taking a 45-25 lead into halftime. The Mean Green hit 13 of their 18 three point attempts, including 11 of their final 12 possessions to build the 20-point halftime lead. The Trojans did hold the Mean Green to just 3-for-10 shooting inside the arc in the first half.
Second Half Notes
• North Texas made its first two three point field goals of the second half, extending its lead to 53-29. The Mean Green converted a three-pointer on 13 out of 14 possessions at the end of the first/start of the second half.
• Coupet Jr. had a strong start to the second half, scoring six of Little Rock's first 10 points, including a four-point play, getting the Trojans under 20 at 53-34 with 15:38 remaining.
• Little Rock struggled to cut into the deficit, making just one field goal in a span of nearly nine minutes as North Texas led by as many as 24. The Trojans were able to get it down to 19 off a lay up from
Kamani Johnson with 10:18 remaining.
• North Texas hit its 18th three with 7:19 remaining, giving it 66 points on the night and pushing it past its season average of 63.6, marking the first time this season the Trojans have failed to hold their opposition under their season average. It also marked that 54 of North Texas' first 66 points came off threes.
• Little Rock made just six of its 24 attempts in the second half and were 2-of-8 from three point range. The Trojans ended the game making just one of their last 11 field goal attempts.
Up Next
• Little Rock closes out the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule Tuesday evening when it hosts Tennessee State. It marks the Tigers' first-ever trip to the Jack Stephens Center with opening tip set for 6:30 p.m.
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