North Texas men close out another efficient win to remain on top of Conference USA

The North Texas men’s basketball team continued its efficient ways Thursday night in another victory to remain in first place in Conference USA.

The Mean Green won their third consecutive game in an 81-72 home victory over Charlotte to remain one game ahead of Western Kentucky.

North Texas (17-9, 11-2) shot 59.3 percent from the field and only committed eight turnovers. The Mean Green rank 12th nationally in field-goal percentage, shooting 48.2 percent on the season.

North Texas dominated down low against Charlotte, outscoring the 49ers in the paint, 46-18. The Mean Green also outrebounded Charlotte, 31-21.

All five North Texas starters scored in double figures, led by Umoja Gibson’s 20 points. The sophomore guard scored nine of his points in the final five minutes.

Junior guard Javion Hamlet took over the game late, with five points and three key assists in the final four minutes and he finished with 15 points and five assists. He also didn’t commit a turnover for the seventh time in a game this season.

Last Saturday, North Texas won at Alabama-Birmingham 71-64 while shooting 55.8 percent from the field.

The Mean Green are back at home at 1 p.m. Saturday against Old Dominion (11-15, 7-6). North Texas has never defeated Old Dominion.

Freshman lifts UT Arlington men

After back-to-back road losses, the UT Arlington men’s basketball team needed something positive to happen Thursday night back at home in the College Park Center.

The Mavericks got just that with a much-needed 77-67 victory over Arkansas State behind a game-high 19 points from freshman guard Sam Griffin.

Senior forward Radshad Davis also had a big game for UTA, contributing 15 points and 14 rebounds and finishing 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Senior point guard Brian Warren came off the bench to add 15 points and five assists. UTA, which has struggled all season on the boards, outrebounded Arkansas State, 40-27.

UTA (11-15, 7-8) moved into a seventh-place tie with Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Thursday’s win was the first of five consecutive games at home for UTA.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” UTA coach Chris Ogden said. “We built some confidence, and I trust our guys are ready for this stretch run.”

Davis also led UTA in points with 16 last Saturday in 19 minutes off the bench in an 89-75 loss at Coastal Carolina.

UTA will be back at home at 2 p.m. Saturday against first-place Arkansas-Little Rock (18-8, 12-3).

The Mavericks will need to get better play from sophomore guard David Azore if they are to upset Little Rock. UTA’s leading scorer on the season is 2-of-19 from the field shooting over his last two games.

UTA women roll to easy road win

The UTA women’s basketball team led from start to finish Thursday night in an 89-62 road victory at Arkansas State.

The Lady Mavericks broke open a five-point halftime lead by outscoring Arkansas State, 46-24, in the second half. UTA shot 52.9 percent and won the battle of the boards, 41-26. UTA made 12 3-pointers, one shy of tying a program record.

Senior forward Marie Benson led UTA with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added 10 rebounds.

Sophomore guards Claire Chastain and Terryn Milton also had big games for UTA. Chastain finished with 17 points and five assists. Milton did it all for UTA with 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals.

The Lady Mavericks (14-10, 8-4) moved into a third-place tie with Arkansas-Little Rock in the Sun Belt, two games behind Coastal Carolina and Troy. UTA will play Little Rock (10-13, 8-4) on the road Saturday afternoon. The Lady Mavericks beat Little Rock, 65-58, at home in early January.

North Texas women lose fifth straight game

The North Texas women’s basketball team continued its struggles Thursday night, dropping its fifth consecutive game in a 72-59 loss at Charlotte.

The Mean Green were outscored, 21-9, in the first quarter and never could recover. North Texas (9-15, 3-9) is now in 12th place in Conference USA.

North Texas did get a big game Thursday from freshman point guard N’Yah Boyd in the loss. She scored a career-high 25 points, with 13 coming in the fourth quarter. Boyd is averaging 15.5 points over her last four games. Senior forward Anisha George also added 20 points and seven rebounds for North Texas.

The Mean Green are back on the road Saturday afternoon at first-place Old Dominion (21-3, 11-1), which has won 10 consecutive games and is 12-0 at home.

This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.