DRC.Mens BB in 7th heaven

[OldTimer]

Men's basketball: Mean Green in seventh heaven

UNT equals last season’s win total

07:27 AM CST on Tuesday, January 20, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

For much of the season, senior forward Shawnson Johnson has been like a security blanket for the North Texas men’s basketball team.

Whenever the Mean Green needed a big basket or an important rebound, it could always depend on the senior forward. UNT didn’t have that luxury for long Monday night, but still managed to pick up a 55-48 win over Florida International at the Super Pit.

Jerome Rogers

Sophomore forward Ron Harris and senior guard Jerome Rogers combined to hit three key free throws to spark a 5-0 run by UNT in the final 3:35 that secured the win.

Johnson, who entered the game averaging 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds a game, spent most of the night in foul trouble and managed just three points and six rebounds in 14 minutes in the Sun Belt Conference game.

"It was good to see us play without Shawnson," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "Other guys stepped up and executed. We didn’t get rattled at all when Shawnson was not in there."

The win allowed UNT (7-8, 2-1) to match its season and Sun Belt win totals from last season when the Mean Green went 7-21 and 2-13 in Sun Belt play.

UNT still has 12 games left in the regular season to continue to improve on its performance last season, not to mention make a run at the Sun Belt’s West Division crown.

The Mean Green will enter a two-game road trip to Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock in the thick of the race in the SBC West. Each team in the division has lost at least one conference game so far this season. UNT moved toward the top of the conference standings by posting a 3-1 record during a four-game home stand that concluded with its win over FIU (3-13, 0-4).

UNT won two conference games during the series and dropped just one – a 70-67 loss to New Mexico State in the first game of the home stand.

"It means a lot to us to reach last season’s win total early," Rogers said. "We have a lot of big goals we want to accomplish this year."

UNT took a step toward reaching those goals after making a series of key plays after FIU cut its deficit to 50-48 with 3:35 left on a basket by FIU forward Harry Lum.

Harris hit one of two free throws to with 3:13 left to extend UNT’s lead to 51-48. Rogers drew a foul on a 3-point shot a short time later and hit two more free throws to give the Mean Green a 53-48 lead it would not relinquish thanks to its defense.

"Our defense was the key," UNT senior forward Michael DeGrate said. "We were not creating on offense. Our defense kept us in the game."

Rogers finished with 16 points to lead UNT. Junior guard Leonard Hopkins added 13 points while DeGrate scored 11.

Lum scored a game-high 21 points to pace Florida International.

The performance Rogers turned in was critical when Johnson struggled with foul problems.

Johnson picked up two quick fouls and scored just one point in seven minutes during the first half. He returned to the game in the second half, but picked up another foul in just a minute on the floor.

Johnson went back to the bench quickly and played just seven minutes in the second half. Limited time on the floor stifled Johnson, who saw his eight-game streak of scoring in double figures come to an end.

Fortunately for UNT, a few other players picked up the slack.

"I thought both guys [Harris and sophomore center Justin Barnett] did a good job in the post tonight," Jones said.

UNT struggled in the second half offensively despite those contributions, shooting 25 percent from the field.

The Mean Green still found a way to win without its offensive touch or Johnson for most of the game and finish its home stand in style.

"This win will help motivate us to do well on the road," DeGrate said. We just have to keep it rolling."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.