UNT hits century mark in opener

[MeanGreen61]

Men's basketball: UNT hits century mark in opener

Seniors Hopkins, Jones lead Mean Green with 16 points each

09:23 AM CST on Saturday, November 20, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

What started out as a nip and tuck affair for the North Texas men’s basketball team turned into show time in the final moments of a 100-66 win over Angelo State on Friday.

UNT broke open a tie game with a 13-4 run at the end of the first half and then put on a dazzling display of dunks in the closing minutes while fans clamored for crowd favorite Micah Bracy to come off the bench and for UNT to hit one more 3-point shot that would have resulted in free hamburgers for the crowd.

"I think we proved a lot tonight," UNT freshman guard Michael Sturns said. "We knew what we were capable of and knew if we executed, good things would happen. I think we got into their minds and hearts. When that happened, we knew we had them."

It took a while for UNT to reach that point in front of its home fans.

ASU came in having won its first two games of the season and hung with the Mean Green early on.

UNT finally turned the tide against the Rams, a member of the Division II Lone Star Conference, by jumping into a fullcourt press at the end of the first half. The Rams eventually wilted under the pressure of a deeper and more athletic UNT team.

"In the second half we did a better job of executing our offense, being more patient, knocking shots down and getting the shots we wanted in the post area," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "When we did that it loosened up the outside a little bit and then we were able to put on our press that opened up the game."

As a result, the Mean Green were able to run in the open floor and take control of the game.

UNT forced the Rams into 27 turnovers and finished with a 22-4 advantage in fast break points. The Mean Green also out-rebounded ASU 59-35.

By getting into the open floor, UNT was able to spread the scoring load between five players who scored in double figures. Senior forward Michael Jones and senior guard Leonard Hopkins led the Mean Green with 16 points each.

Junior forward Ty Thomas (11) and junior center Justin Barnett (10) also reached double figures in scoring. Freshman Quincy Williams scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds to round out UNT’s list of double figure scorers.

Sturns was also impressive in his first regular season game with UNT. The freshman scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds and also handed out seven assists.

Sturns helped bring the crowd to its feet at the end of the game with a pass behind his back to Jones for an easy look at the basket, a pass to junior center Jeffrey Simpson for a dunk and two additional dunks of his own.

The outcome was special for the UNT’s players who had a chance to play in front of a crowd that came to its feet late in the game. UNT came up just one 3-point shot short, with six, of winning free hamburgers for the crowd.

"We all said this year was going to be different," Sturns said. "When we bring energy, the fans will bring energy."

UNT is hoping to carry that energy over into one of its biggest challenges of the season, a game on the road at Alabama, one of the top-ranked teams in the nation, on Sunday.

"We already know that we are going to be the underdogs," Jones said. "We want to try to prove something to everyone just like anyone would."

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