North Texas men remain in first place despite last-second home loss to Louisiana Tech

The North Texas men’s basketball team was on the verge of winning another close game in Denton on Feb. 22 before Louisiana Tech’s Daquan Bracey spoiled the celebration.

The All-Conference USA guard made a contested layup with 1.1 seconds left to play to give the Bulldogs a 73-71 victory at the Super Pit against the first-place Mean Green. Bracey finished with a game-high 26 points.

Bracey’s game-winner came right after North Texas junior guard Javion Hamlet put the Mean Green ahead with a three-point play after making a layup and a free throw following a foul on the made basket with 24 seconds remaining.

The good news for North Texas (18-10, 12-3 in Conference USA) is that it didn’t fall out of first place because later that day second-place Western Kentucky also lost against Charlotte, 72-70. North Texas’ loss ended the Mean Green’s four-game winning streak.

Hamlet, who has been one of the top players in Conference USA all season, finished with 25 points and four assists. He scored 10 of his points in the game’s final five minutes.

“We both made big shots, but they made the last one,” Hamlet said. “There’s a lot we could have done better. We’ll get better because of this.”

On Jan. 18, Hamlet just beat the final buzzer on a game-winning, floating shot down the lane for North Texas’ first win at Louisiana Tech since 1952.

Hamlet blamed himself for the loss because he missed two free throws in a game North Texas lost by two. They were the only two free throws North Texas missed in the game. Hamlet came into the game shooting 90 percent from the free throw line in conference play.

The Mean Green struggled with their outside shooting, finishing 4-of-22 from 3-point range. Junior guard James Reese finished with 16 points and sophomore guard Umoja Gibson added 13.

UTA men fall to Georgia Southern

The Mavericks had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 81-61 home loss to Georgia Southern on Feb 22.

UTA trailed almost the entire game and dug a big hole at halftime by being down, 39-22. The Mavericks were outscored, 32-8, in the paint.

UTA shot just 31.8 percent from the field. Senior forward Jabari Narcis led four players in double figures with a team-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

UTA (13-16, 9-9) is in seventh place in the Sun Belt Conference with two regular-season games to play.

The Mavericks close out their regular season at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Troy (9-20, 5-13) against former UTA coach Scott Cross.

UTA women down Texas State

The UTA women’s basketball team won its third consecutive game on Feb. 22 defeating Texas State, 69-49, to remain in third place in the Sun Belt.

UTA (16-10, 10-4) trails first-place Coastal Carolina and Troy by 2½ games in the league standings with four regular-season games left to play.

Senior transfer forward Marie Benson led four Lady Mavericks in double figures with a game-high 20 points, 15 rebounds and three steals. Six of her rebounds came on the offensive end.

UTA took advantage of a fast start to lead 18-5 after the first quarter. The Lady Mavericks also outscored Texas State in the paint, 42-22.

North Texas women end seven-game losing streak

The North Texas women’s basketball team finally found some relief in a 94-55 home victory over UT San Antonio on Feb. 22 that ended the Mean Green’s seven-game losing streak.

UT San Antonio was also the last team North Texas had defeated — stretching back a month ago on Jan. 23 – before the win.

North Texas (10-17, 4-11) took control of the game by outscoring UT San Antonio, 34-11, in the second quarter. The Mean Green finished the game shooting 53.2 percent.

Senior center Anisha George led the way for North Texas with a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds. Sophomore forward Charlene Shepherd added 24 points off the bench on 9-of-11 shooting.