DENTON, Texas – The Mavericks closed out their time in Texas with a hard-fought 75-64 loss to North Texas on Saturday.
Omaha drops to 1-2 to begin the year, while the Mean Green moves to 2-0.
Leaders for Omaha
Omaha had three players in double-digits today, with
Marquel Sutton leading the pack with 15 points after shooting 5-for-11 and going 5-for-8 from the line.
Grant Stubblefield was right behind him with 11 points (4-for-6) and led the team with two 3-PT FGs, two assists, and recorded the only block.
Jaeden Marshall also reached double-digits with 10 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 on free throws.
Meanwhile.
Nick Davis led the team in rebounds again with six to go along with his nine points.
Leaders for North Texas
The Mean Green also had three players top 10 points, led by Aaron Scott (7-for-9) and CJ Noland (5-for-8) with 18 each. The two also accounted for five of UNT's eight baskets from behind the arc. Moulaye Sissoko was their top rebounder with seven boards along with his 10 points, while Rubin Jones had a game-high seven assists.
Team Stats
While North Texas had the edge in the shooting categories, leading in FG% (56.3% vs. 40.8%), 3-PT FG% (40.0% vs. 30.8%), and FT% (81.3% vs. 80.0%), the Mavericks managed to hold their own thanks to improved ball handling and depth, resulting in leads in points in the paint (26 vs. 24), points off turnovers (14 vs. 6), and bench points (20 vs. 15).
Inside the First Half
Through the first 10 minutes the Mavericks managed to keep pace with the Mean Green, with
Biko Johnson providing an early spark with a great feed to Davis who converted a layup little over a minute in, before draining a three-pointer of his own at 16:07. Later, at 11:47, Sutton made it a two-point game when he nailed a jumper to make it 16-14.
Unfortunately, an 8-0 scoring run by UNT from 11:21-10:07 shifted the momentum back in their favor. A pair of driving layups from
JJ White would provide the bulk of Omaha's scoring in the remainder of the half as North Texas carried a 42-26 lead into the break.
Inside the Second Half
The Mavericks opened the second half fully energized, coming out with good ball movement in the first five minutes as Stubblefield opened up scoring with a shot from deep 20 seconds in. Sutton also got his first dunk of the night after Grant got the block and the board to set him up. Marshall added five points early on as well, sinking a three at 17:44 before making three from the charity stripe two minutes later to cut UNT's lead to 46-39 with 15:15 on the clock.
Like in the first half, though, Omaha could not keep up the momentum as North Texas fired back and took a 14-point lead with 10 left to play.
Entering the final six minutes, the Mavericks made one last push to get back in the game, starting with a layup from Marshall on the fast break at 5:53. Stubblefield followed up with a bucket 40 seconds later, before making his second three of the day at 4:20 to cut the deficit to 64-55. Omaha would get within nine a couple more times, but each time UNT came right back and regrew their lead.
Game Notes
- Despite not playing in the first half, Stubblefield ended the night with just under 19 minutes played in the second half alone and had the second most field goals on the team. This is the first double-digit scoring game of his young career.
- The Mavericks scored 19 more points against UNT tonight than they did last December when they were defeated 75-45.
Up Next
The Mavericks are on the road again next week when they participate in the Air Force Classic, first by taking on William & Mary on Thursday, followed by Lindenwood on Friday, and Air Force on Sunday.
