DMN Mean Green recover to post best start in 20 yr

[OldTimer]

Mean Green recover to post best start in 20 years

05:49 AM CST on Wednesday, December 29, 2004

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

There were times during the North Texas men's basketball team's game Dec. 22 against Southeast Missouri State that the Mean Green felt like they would never heat up offensively.

Fortunately for UNT, Calvin Watson found his range just in time to hit a key 3-point shot that gave the Mean Green the momentum they needed to pull away for a 69-62 win at The Super Pit.

UNT was locked in a tie game with Southeast when Watson hit a 3-point shot from the wing that proved to be the key play in the game.

"I was thrilled to see that shot go through," Watson said. "I thought that would be a turning point in the game."

Watson turned out to be right after the Mean Green hit seven of eight free throws in the final minute to pull away for a milestone win.

UNT improved to 6-3, its best start since the 1980-81 season when the Mean Green also started 6-3.

"To start 6-3 is a sign of improvement for our basketball program," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "Our guys have played well early in the season."

UNT's start was based in large part on its solid play offensively in its last two games, when the Mean Green had scored 90 points in back-to-back contests.

UNT was unable to match its offensive production against Southeast but still managed to pull out the win thanks to solid play on defense and standout shooting from the line.

UNT held Southeast (3-6) to 33 percent shooting and hit 18 of 20 free throws in the second half.

"Free throws were the game," Watson said. "If we had not hit those shots from the line, we wouldn't have won."

Those free throws were particularly important after UNT got off to a slow start in the first half.

The Mean Green shot just 36 percent from the field and tied their season low for points in the first half .

"We were not focused early in the game," UNT forward Quincy Williams said. "Coach got onto us at halftime."

Jones might have been more upset with his team had it not been for Williams' play in the first half – he scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.

Williams and senior guard Leonard Hopkins each scored 14 points to lead UNT.

Hopkins finished the game 13 points short of becoming the 16th player in UNT history to score 1,000 points.

Williams solid start kept UNT in the game early despite a flurry of miscues, including a pair of missed layups in the opening moments.

Southeast and its top player, Dainmon Gonner, also struggled early. Gonner had six points in the first half after going 2-for-12 from the field.

That allowed the Mean Green to stay close, and now they can claim the program's best start in more than 20 years.

"Coach mentioned that we had a chance to get off to the best start in a long time, so it would be in the back of our minds," Watson said. "If we stay focused we could have a big year."

E-mail bvito@dentonrc.com