DENTON – Atin Wright hit a game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining as the UNT men’s basketball team defeated Oregon State 58-55 at the Super Pit on Monday night.
Three North Texas (5-1) players finished with double-digit point totals as the Mean Green remained undefeated at home this season. Latrell Jossell finished with a season and game-high 15 points. Brenen Lorient scored a career-high 14 points, extending his streak of double-digit point games to three.
UNT has now beaten two high-major teams this regular season — they defeated Minnesota 54-51 on Nov. 13. It’s the first time they’ve accomplished that since the 2010-11 season when they beat Texas Tech and LSU in the same year during the regular season.
The Mean Green continued to be one of the most efficient defensive teams in the country, forcing 22 Beavers turnovers, UNT’s highest total since Nov. 26, 2020 when the Mean Green defeated Mississippi Valley State 116-62 at home.
"Our ability to turn them over 22 times in a one-possession game was the separator," head coach Ross Hodge said. " That's a really good team that can really shoot. We talked about it in one of the [media timeouts] that we were going to really have to string together some of our best defensive possessions and I thought that group in the second half was really good."
North Texas took a close 26-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Oregon State (4-2) came out hot to begin the second half and held the lead until the 5:38 mark. 13 of the Beavers’ 22 turnovers came in the second half, ultimately leading to the Mean Green’s close victory.
North Texas travels to Kissimmee, Fla. to take on Northern Iowa on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT for their first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
For more information on UNT Basketball tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can purchase tickets at www.meangreentickets.com or visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of DATCU Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.